Sneaky Love
by mcangel1976
Summary: The hosts have all graduated high school, and while they may not get to see each other as often, they are still friends. Hikaru and Kaoru moved to New York to study fashion while the others attended university in Japan. Now as college ends, what is in store for them? Will Haruhi finally find love with one of the hosts? Maybe the one that always stood in the background? Possibly.
1. Welcome Back

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club or its characters, but I do enjoy torturing them… I mean using them in my stories.**

 **A/N: Finally! A new story is here for you to read. I know it's been a while, but I thank you for your patience with me as I finished my novel. I have been told from one proofreader that it is good and I only need to correct some typos. I'm still waiting to hear from the other one. Now on to other important stuff. This story is my first Kaoru/Haruhi story and I got the idea from CrazyKitCat and this goes with the challenge from Mtnikolle to do all non-cannon pairings (love this challenge). I hope you like it. It may start out a bit slow, but it will def speed up. Please be aware that I have a few ideas and this rating may go up to M later on.**

Chapter 1 – Welcome Back

Everything seemed to fly by after the first graduation that affected the Host Club. Hunny and Mori left the group to go on to college, then Kyoya and Tamaki graduated and went to college, and finally it was Haruhi and the twins. Oh the first four graduates would visit when they could, but as time marched on the visits seemed to come less and less frequently. They were busy with their college careers, and although the youngest three understood, it was at times a bit lonely and…quiet. No Tamaki to tease or scream when he thought Haruhi was being abused. No Kyoya to scare them to death. No Hunny to eat the cake and make cutesy remarks. No Mori…actually Mori didn't say much, but they missed his presence all the same.

That was until they entered college themselves. Once Haruhi started at Todai's law program; even the fast track program would take her four and a half years, and that meant school year round, taking additional classes when possible, and then doing the two year graduate program instead of the three. She was swamped. The twins tried traditional college, but it wasn't for them; thus after only one semester with dismal results, their mother pulled some strings and got them into a fashion college in New York. In addition, they would be working directly with a top designer while they lived there. With New York being considered the most fashionable city in the world, it only made sense to her…and after a little persuasion, them as well.

It seemed as if the days of the Host Club were distant memories. Everyone was busy with their own lives, however, there were those rare times that everyone (minus the twins) would get together for lunch or dinner and just chat; and they always made sure to talk to each other on the phone or to send emails regularly with everyone. Their lives might have been busier than they ever thought possible, but their friends were too important to lose.

Yes, their carefree high school days were in the past, however, their friendships and bonds they formed during those times were as strong as ever. If someone needed help, he/she only needed to call and the others came running. Case and point, when Ranka being Ranka got drunk because his lover dumped him. He got drunk at work and walked home in three inch heels. Somehow he made it to the steps of his apartment building where he found Haruhi returning from her a study group, threw himself at her, his heel caught in a hole, twisted his ankle, and Ranka fell face first onto the asphalt. When they arrived at the hospital, she called Kyoya and told him what happened. He didn't have to, but he arrived shortly after to check on the redhead who had become a good friend to all of the hosts, except Tamaki. Ranka still didn't like Tamaki even after knowing him for a few years. Of course Kyoya told Haruhi he would charge her for the visit, and at one point in time it might have made her worry, but she just smiled and nodded and knew that was his way of covering up his concern…dare we say it…FEELINGS. That night Ranka had to have surgery to put a plate in his ankle because when he broke it, he broke it good; and when he finally got out of the hospital, Kyoya had arranged for them to stay in a first floor location so that Ranka did not have to worry about stairs, and Haruhi didn't have to worry about Ranka falling on the stairs. She accepted because she learned a long time ago it's useless to argue against the Shadow King.

They came together another time when Tamaki's grandmother passed away during his third year in university. Again, one phone call is all it took. The hosts gathered around their friend and helped him in his time of need. Even the twins flew in for the funeral in order to support their leader. Tono would always be Tono and he would always be the boss…in a manner of speaking. They knew he had no real power, but they still followed him. After the funeral, the twins returned to New York and the hosts returned to their busy lives for time did not stop even when you wanted it to.

Any time someone was in need, the others were there without question or hesitation. Their friends were their world and their support. They needed each other, and although they could not always be there in person, they wanted to keep their connections strong and present.

Out of everyone, Haruhi probably missed the twins the most. They were her best friends and throughout high school, they were inseparable. Take away the Host Club, and they still saw each other every day because they had at least half of their classes together, only differing when it came to their specialized programs: Kaoru took creative writing, Hikaru took extra science and math (even blew up the science lab one day, and covering it in blue goo another), and Haruhi took some college prep courses that would transfer over to Todai (allowing her to get rid of some of her general studies credits and a prelaw class). The trio had been a constant that had come to an end in college, but even during the first semester, although they were separated at different campuses, they were still in Japan. She could still see them any time she wanted to…if she had time. After they left and moved to the other side of the world, it felt like a hole had opened in her heart and life. She saw them on Skype all the time, sent them texts and emails, and even called them, but it wasn't the same. She missed them, and she honestly did not think she would ever say that about the two people who could piss her off, annoy her, make her hit them, etc. Somehow, they had become the shadows she wished had not disappeared.

Anytime she talked to them on Skype, she could already see the changes. They still messed around and played their pranks (and then they would relay the reactions to her the next time they talked), but they were growing up and maturing. They were finally in their element and growing as people and individuals. In their appearance, it was the subtle things she noticed, the small changes that made them look more mature; and in their speech, they talked more about what they were doing and less about the pranks or funny things. They were becoming men, and she missed the impish teens they once were. Oh, she liked them like this too, but it felt different. However, during those times they were unable to talk because of her schedule or theirs, she longed to be talking to them and the changes no longer mattered.

The twin that seemed to be coming into his own more than the other was Kaoru. He finally realized that he did not have to baby his brother or cover for him. Hikaru would do things, he would mess up, and he could pick himself up. The younger twin no longer had to do it for him. It had been a learning experience for them both. Apparently, Hikaru left the door to the design room unlocked accidentally. He had been tired and thought it had been done, and when everyone arrived that morning, the room had been trashed by someone (turns out it was a petty thief looking for extra cash or something to hock). Kaoru tried to stand up for his brother, to share the burden, but Hikaru would not allow him to destroy his chances. The older brother had finally admitted his was wrong and took his punishment. Instead of firing him, the designer allowed him to work his way up once again. Starting out as a gopher, unable to touch any fabric or anything, but eventually his punishment ended. Kaoru and Haruhi had been proud of him, and Kaoru learned that sometimes, they each had to stand on their own. They were twins, but they were not connected at the hip, they were individuals and their own person as well. Their little world grew.

Talking to the twins, her conversations with Kaoru revolved around more than just fashion, while Hikaru ate, drank, and lived fashion. Intellectually, she got along with the younger twin best, however, she could still have intelligent conversations with Hikaru…if she understood half of what he was talking about when he discussed trying to invent a new formula for scotch guarding fabric. During those times, she smiled and nodded and then waited for Kaoru to dummy it down for her.

Oh how she missed them, and she couldn't wait to see them! The years had passed, everyone had finally graduated from university, and they were scheduled to be home tomorrow. Today however, she needed to focus. She was scheduled to take the first portion of the bar exam and she had to pass. This was the first gate that stood in her way to being a lawyer.

Why did it have to rain on today of all days? A day when she needed to hurry, she needed to focus? "Please mother in heaven, watch over me today," Haruhi muttered as she tried to rush towards her destination. So many people were out and rushing to some place, and she was only one ant in the multitude. A push here, a push there, and… Stepping on a slick spot, she slipped, her leg lifting into the air. She waited for the sidewalk to knock the breath out of her, but it never came. Instead, strong arms held her, a chest was pressed against her back. Blushing, she righted herself and turned around, bowing to her rescuer, "Th-Thank you!"

A chuckle, "You're welcome, Haruhi."

Her name? She knew that voice…kind of. Her head whipped upwards, and might have caused whiplash in another person, and gasped, "Kaoru?"

"In the flesh," he laughed again.

"No. You're still in New York until tomorrow. I have a test today."

"We took an earlier flight. Come on. You don't want to be late for the bar exam," he started to pull her behind him, a beaming smile on his face.

"Where's Hikaru?"

"Settling into the apartment. I was running an errand when I saw you. Unfortunately, the car was pointed the other direction and this is a one way street. My driver is headed home and I'll call him later."

"You're supposed to still be in New York."

"You already said that, but as you can see… Now come on or you'll be late, although, knowing you, you probably left hours early so you wouldn't be late. I'll tell you everything after your test."

A smile finally formed on her own lips and she nodded, "Fine." Nothing else was said. Her grip on his hand tightened, and she felt at peace. Her friends were back in Japan where they belonged and she could see them whenever she wanted to again. Life was good.


	2. All Grown Up - Sort Of

**A/N: Thank you everyone! I'm so happy you like the set up. This is just the beginning. I'm not sure how long the story will be, but look for at least a few chapters. Here you go CrazyKitCat...Twins with facial hair. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2 – All Grown Up…Sort Of

The test was murder! Seriously, Haruhi believed they might be trying to eradicate potential lawyers by making their brains implode. Her professors had warned her that it would be difficult and she thought she had sufficiently prepared herself for what was to come, but spending hours upon hours answering questions about law, everything started to swim and blend together. Not a pleasant feeling for the brunette, and this was only phase one…it would get much harder from here. The second phase wouldn't be happening for another four months, and that one would be three days of essay questions. All this so she could become a member of the bar association, do her officially licensed internship, and then be able to practice law on her own. Pure torture, but this was her dream and what she wanted to do.

Trudging out of the room over six hours after she had first entered, she was kind of surprised to see Kaoru sitting on a wooden bench waiting on her patiently. There was a time when he and/or his brother would do anything but wait quietly for anyone. So many pranks had been pulled throughout the years, she had lost count somewhere around 50. This was a shock, but at the same time, a nice surprise. "Were you actually waiting here all day?" She approached him and curiously asked. He laughed in response. It was deeper and richer than she remembered, and yet, it also made her heart clench. That had never really happened before.

"No. As much as I really wanted to see you again and take you out to lunch…or dinner," he corrected after looking at his watch, "I don't have the patience of a saint. I ran a few errands and then came back about thirty minutes ago to see if you were done yet. The monitor told me that some of the students were starting to wrap up, so I waited."

"Oh. Makes sense. I really couldn't see you waiting that long either."

"Yeah, I think even Kyoya-senpai would have a hard time sitting still and waiting quietly for seven hours."

"It hasn't been a full seven hours yet."

"Close."

"Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades."

"Tamaki-senpai been studying American phrases again?"

"Something like that," she snickered and linked her arm with his. "How about we get something to eat? I'm starving and it will give us a chance to catchup and talk."

"Deal."

"Should we call Hikaru?"

Kaoru thought about it for a minute, and something inside him told him that he wanted to be alone with her right now. She had always been the one who had captured his heart, and he wasn't ready to share her just yet. Shaking his head, he answered, "Nah. He was working on some stuff and unpacking. We can go over to see him after we eat."

"Sounds good." Her heart felt fluttery and free, and she could not argue against this outcome.

They found a nice little restaurant close to the testing center and sat down across from each other. There was hardly anyone there since it was still a little early for dinner and too late for lunch, and they found it to be perfect. They could talk freely without anyone overhearing or having to fight to actually hear their dinner partner. There had been a few times when they had gone out in the past during the dinner/drinking rush, and it was slightly difficult to hear the other person. Of course add the other hosts into the mix, and it became next to impossible to have a nice quiet relaxing meal.

"So, want to tell me what you were doing up and about so early?" Haruhi questioned her friend.

"What do you mean? It wasn't so early," Kaoru retorted, a small smirk on his face. In all honesty, he remembered today would be the first phase of her bar testing and he pushed his brother to return to Japan early; and then using the excuse that he had errands to run, drove the streets until he found her. It was true, he did have errands to run, but nothing that had to be run right at that moment.

"Oh really? I remember a time when getting you up earlier than ten on a non-school day was virtually impossible…unless Tamaki called you and made up some sort of story about me being kidnapped or sold into slavery. Really? I can't believe you fell for those things at least four times."

"It was six times total and we weren't the only ones to go along at the boss's pace. I can remember you going along with him just as often…without the kidnapping excuses."

"It was those damn eyes of his. Puppy dog eyes."

Laughing, Kaoru wiped his eyes, "Yeah, he knew how to use them on everyone. Even Kyoya-senpai fell for it."

"How could you not?"

"True, very true."

"How has everyone been?"

"Busy, but they are all good. They'll be happy to know you and Hikaru are back in Japan. Speaking of which…why are you back early? Last we heard, we were going to be picking you up from the airport tomorrow."

Leaning on his arms, he was about to answer her, but waited for the waiter to deliver their food. Thanking him, he returned his attention to the lovely brunette across from him and shrugged, "No secret really. We finished up everything, had our apartment packed, and decided to surprise everyone by coming in a day early."

"Have you told the others yet?"

He shook his head and that mischievous smile of his appeared, "Not yet. How funny would it be for them to get there and wait on us, only for us to walk up behind them and join the group?"

"You aren't really going to do that, are you?"

"You have to ask?"

"Kyoya will kill you."

"What happened to the senpai?"

"We've all graduated. He'll kill you."

"So he let you drop it?"

"He kind of insisted." Rolling her eyes, she groaned, "You really don't care, do you?"

His grin grew, "Nope. Not really."

"Still the same devilish twins."

Chuckling, he shook his head, "I wouldn't exactly say that. We've learned to be a bit more serious and grown up since we left."

She paused and finally conceded, "I know. New York was good for you, although, not sure what I think about the chin hair. Is Hikaru sporting it as well?"

"No, but he's kept up with his dark brown hair. I think he likes it better than auburn. He tried to grow a mustache and goatee, but when it grew in redder than our hair, he shaved it deciding it would not do to have one color on his face and another on his head."

She tried to hold it in, but was unable and laughed, "Sorry. Sorry. Couldn't he have just colored his facial hair too?"

"Grows too fast and too much trouble according to him," he joined in her merriment. His mood turned serious after a few moments though and he said, "I really missed you."

Her heartrate accelerated, "You mean everyone."

"Yeah. Everyone," he replied and started eating.

Disappointment flooded her at his words, "I missed you guys too. We all did."

"I'll be honest, I think I missed you more than the others."

Her smile returned and butterflies were dancing a cha-cha in her stomach. Honesty was not exactly the twins' forte most of the time, but she could see he meant it. There was something in his eyes. Kaoru had grown up while they had been separated, and while she knew and understood that seeing it on the screen of her computer, seeing it in person was completely different and awe inspiring. Who would have thought this man would actually mature? Well, she hoped he and Hikaru would, and it's nice to see that it actually happened. It's a miracle!

"Will you be going back?" She asked as they finished up their meal.

"Maybe for fashion week, but I think home is here and I don't want to leave for years at a time again."

"I'm glad to hear that…because you know, we would all miss you."

"Yeah."

As they were leaving the restaurant, Haruhi saw something she never thought she would see. Before they walked out the door, a young lady, an older woman, and an older man walked in. The older woman dropped her cane, and before anyone could reach down to pick it up, Kaoru grabbed it, gave it to her, and then helped her to her seat. While he would have held open the door before and might have even picked up the cane, Kaoru Hitachiin would have probably never helped them to their seat when someone younger was with them and when the waiter could have done it himself. He really had changed for the better; and something told her that this was only the tip of the iceberg. She couldn't wait to see more.

Back at their new apartment, Haruhi hugged Hikaru and welcomed him home. It was good to have both of her friends back home and near her. "Is it wrong that I'm happy you finished wrapping everything up early so you could be here today instead of tomorrow? Kaoru recued me on the sidewalk earlier."

"Wrapped up…? But Kaoru…" Hikaru began and shut up quickly when he was kicked in the shin by his brother without the brunette seeing the assault. "Yep, that's what we did. It's good to be home."

"Are you really going to make everyone go to the airport tomorrow?"

"Why not?" They asked together with that troublemaking glint in their eyes.

Holding up her hands, she snickered, "I get it. You might have done some growing up, but you're still the same. It's nice to see though. Kyoya's going to kill you though."

"Oh, I think we can handle the Shadow King," Hikaru leered.

"He'll be so happy to see us, he'll let us off with a warning. The one we have to be careful of is the boss. He's liable to squeeze us to death," Kaoru stated in a matter of fact voice.

Haruhi couldn't wait to see what happened, "I'm not saying anything. This is all on you two."

"We survived this long," the brother chortled simultaneously causing everyone to laugh.

No, the twins had not completely changed, and there was something soothing about that to Haruhi. She liked the fact her friends were still the devilish type and had not completely abandoned their prior ways; although, she still thought Kyoya might kill them for their little prank. Well, at least she got to see them one last time.


	3. To Kill, or Not To Kill

**A/N: Poor Hikaru and Kaoru may not live to see another day. The Shadow King might actually kill them. Probably not though since I am a sucker for happy endings. LOL.** **Also, I will be going to visit my older sister in Virginia for a few weeks. I'll still be writing, but it might get haphazard for a bit. Just wanted to let you know. Enjoy!**

 **PS... My novel is done and back from the proofreaders. After doing some minor corrections, I will be self-publishing this week! I'm beyond excited. As soon as I get it published, I will give you all of the information for those who would like to read it.**

Chapter 3 – To Kill or Not to Kill

The next day began as any other – sort of. Excited about the fact the twins were returning that day, Tamaki rushed over to his best friend's house and demanded Kyoya wake up. Of course he had to dodge one lamp, an alarm clock, three books, and a glass in the process, but the blond had managed to acquire excellent reflexes in dealing with the dreaded Shadow King. It was eat or be eaten… or in his case, duck or die. Thus at 8:00am that morning, Tamaki forced Kyoya to get out of bed, even though the twins were not set to get in until about 2:00pm that afternoon.

"I cannot fathom why you forced me to get up at this ungodly hour when their plane does not get in until this afternoon," Kyoya grumbled as he sipped his third cup of coffee. He had refused to say anything to his best friend until he had some sort of caffeine in him.

"Mommy! How can you not be excited? Our sons are finally returning to our arms where they belong!" Tamaki dramatically whined, stepping up on top of Kyoya's coffee table in the bedroom, only to be pushed off said table. Luckily, he landed on a chair or it might have hurt a little more. The floor was hard after all.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, the bespectacled man growled, "They are not our sons and I would prefer to keep them at least an arm's length away. Who knows what they have hidden in their pockets? Need I remind you it was them that set your hair on fire? How long did you have to wear a wig during our first year of university?"

"A whole six months, mommy! They singed my hair and didn't even completely apologize! How could they? They were horrible, evil doppelgangers!"

"These are the same twins you are calling our sons! And you wanted to wake me up early in order to meet them at the airport? What were you thinking? Why do I need to wake up at 8 in the morning when they won't even land until this afternoon?"

"Well…"

"Well, what?"

"I just thought maybe…" His voice stopped abruptly.

"You weren't thinking. That's the problem. You probably started thinking and it lead to your inner mind theatre and you got overly excited and didn't sleep at all. Then you show up at my house – why it had to be mine, I still do not know – thinking that you were going to be tardy or something. You got it in your head that you needed to gather everyone together or else we would all be late or not appear. Am I wrong?"

"Well, they've just been gone for so long and…"

"No. I don't want to hear your excuses. You woke me up when I did not need to be, after having to get up at 6:00am all week and not getting in until after midnight each night. I had wanted to sleep in today, but you ruined it." Kyoya noticed his best friend was about to say something, "And before you say that 8 is later than 6, stop. I'm liable to throw something else at you…and this time I won't miss."

There was a distinct ping heard that matched the glint that suddenly appeared in the Shadow King's eyes, and Tamaki knew he was in trouble. He needed to quit while he was ahead, "Yes, mommy."

"Did you call the others?"

"Yes, but our daughter was the only one that answered."

Other may have thought it weird that the blond still referred to their little group as a family, and even referred to him and Kyoya as daddy and mommy; however, the Shadow King long ago accepted that this was just who Tamaki was. Oh he tried to fight it at first, but as with most things concerning the blond, you have to pick your battles, and this wasn't worth fighting about. Besides, knowing Tamaki, even if Kyoya did rebel against it, Tamaki would still be calling himself daddy and Kyoya mommy. "Did you actually try to call and wake up Hunny?"

"Well, I thought he would be up at 7:00am."

Kyoya pushed up his glasses and nodded. It was true the cake loving former loli host would typically be up about that time in order to practice in the dojo, and that meant, he probably didn't answer because he was busy, "He was probably practicing. He and Yasuchika have been working together to teach some of the new officers in the Black Onion Squad."

"To-Together? Mommy, is Yasuchika dead?"

"Will you stop that? They worked through their differences, and while Yasuchika may still pick fights with him, Hunny has always held back a little. If Mori didn't answer, he might have been with them."

"What should we do? What if they don't remember today is when Hikaru and Kaoru come home?"

"We wait until a decent hour to call and remind them."

"But mommy! We need to make sure they remember! We'll need to pick everyone up. Our daughter doesn't have a car and so we'll need to offer her a ride. It won't do for her to be late to the homecoming party."

"I'm sure if anyone remembers, it's Haruhi."

"What do you mean by that?"

Kyoya face palmed, "I mean, they were all best friends and have kept in touch better than anyone. She is also the most organized, other than me, and will therefore, remember exactly when the twins' flight is supposed to land."

"But mommy!"

"FINE! I will send a message to everyone to be ready at 11:00. We will have lunch together and then go to the airport. Will that satisfy you?"

"Thank you, mommy!"

It was moments like these when he wondered why Tamaki was his best friend, and it also reminded him of when his sister made the remark, "You really are like husband and wife. Mommy and daddy." She had snickered and left the room before she could be hit with a flying pillow.

As promised he sent the message, and then he and Tamaki picked everyone up at the scheduled time. This was easier than listening to the blond cry all day about the possibility someone might forget the twins were returning. Maybe it would have been better if they hadn't returned? Kyoya briefly thought about that periodically. While the twins might have matured during their time in New York, he didn't completely trust them…they had a legacy of pranks and such. Even after Tamaki's grandmother's funeral. After they boarded the plane and when Tamaki returned home from sending them off, he was unable to get into his bedroom because it was filled to the brim with balloons. Some had even been filled with whip cream. Tamaki might have thought it was fun, but Kyoya had other thoughts on the matter since he had been with the blond at the time and had to help pop over 1000 balloons.

At lunch Kyoya noticed Haruhi was slightly fidgety and asked, "Haruhi, do you have a problem with the lunch venue, or do you have a health concern that needs to be addressed at the hospital?"

"Huh? No! Nothing like that Kyoya. I'm just…thinking about my test yesterday. It was harder than I thought it would be and I'm not sure how well I did," she answered hurriedly, not wanting to admit that she knew the twins had already arrived and were currently plotting their own surprise for their friends. As far as she knew, they could even be following them right now.

Hunny exclaimed, "I know you did really well, Haru-Chan! You're one of the smartest girls I know! Right, Takeshi?"

"Right," Mori smiled at the brunette.

"Thanks guys," she grinned.

Tamaki panicked, "Mommy, can't you do anything for our little girl?" Grabbing the brunette, he pulled her into his arms and squeezed.

Pushing down the inclination to murder his friend, Kyoya answered, "No. I cannot skew the scores, nor can I break into the system to see what her score was; however, I'm sure she did fine and will be moving onto the next round of testing."

"Next round?"

"Tamaki, get off!" She pushed the blond away from her and then said, "Yes, there are two rounds to pass the bar. You can't move onto the second round without passing the first."

"My poor…" Tamaki tried to grab her again, but found himself hugging air. Before he could wrap his arms around her, Mori pulled her to safety and Tamaki fell on his face. "MORI-SENPAI!"

Unable to hold in their laughter or remain hidden any longer, the twins guffawed, "Some things never change!"

Four head whipped around and their eyes fell upon two mirror images of each other. The only difference between the two, one had a chin goatee and the other had dark brown hair. What were they doing here? Weren't these two the ones the hosts were supposed to meet at the airport?

"Hika-Chan? Kao-Chan?" Hunny queried.

Wrapping their arms around each other, they announced, "In the flesh! We would play the Which One Is Hikaru Game, but you would win for sure!"

"Yeah, that wouldn't be fun!" Hikaru snickered.

"None at all!" Kaoru exclaimed.

"Are you really back?" Tamaki asked.

The twins poked each other's faces, pulled on their cheeks and hair, and then shook each other, "Yep, looks like we're real!"

Standing up, Tamaki yelled, "That's not what I meant! When did you get back?"

Kyoya pushed up his glasses, "Yes, I would like to know that myself. This morning, daddy here, was so worried we would miss you, he woke me up at 8am; and I just love to be woken up that early."

The twins grabbed each other, suddenly very afraid of the black aura being emitted from the Shadow King. They almost forgot how scary he could be, especially when discussing an early wake up call. "Umm, well see…" Hikaru looked to Kaoru.

"We…we…thought we would surprise everyone," Kaoru stammered.

"And how far were you planning on taking this…surprise?" Kyoya inquired, noticing how the newcomers shook and clasped each other.

"We just thought…" Hikaru tried to answer and stopped. Did he dare tell on his twin? That it had been Kaoru's idea to come home early so that he could cheer on Haruhi? No, because he didn't even know if Haruhi was completely conscious of that fact. "We just missed everyone!" He quickly substituted.

Kyoya had a feeling the older twin wasn't being completely honest, and he would let it go…for now, however, he would make them suffer a little more for their insolence and the fact he was woken up so early, "Sit down!" When they had complied, he said, "So you got in early and decided to follow us? How did you know where we would be? Haruhi?"

She suddenly felt chilled, like death was knocking at her door, "Y-Yes, Kyoya?"

"How long have you known they were back?"

"Why do you assume it was me?"

"Haruhi, Haruhi. Really?"

Unable to hide it any longer, she said, "I found out yesterday."

"I see. And you kept it from the group?"

"Well, see the thing is…" She stopped when he adjusted his glasses and they gleamed with the overhead light, blocking out his eyes.

Feeling slightly brave, Kaoru jumped in to defend her, "We told her not to say anything because we wanted to surprise everyone."

"So you wanted to prank us," Kyoya deadpanned.

"Kind of?"

"Is that a question or a declaration?"

"We intended to wait until you were at the airport and then we would join the group and surprise you," he confessed.

"I see."

Suddenly very afraid for his life, Kaoru tried to help his case, "But we didn't. See we surprised you at lunch instead of at the airport."

"Only because you couldn't hold in your laughter. I believe if it had not been for our leader's antics, you would have remained hidden until the airport. Am I wrong?"

The twins looked at each other and then said, "No, you're not."

"Kyoya, isn't this your fault too?" Haruhi asked.

Lifted an eyebrow, he turned and asked, "How do you figure?"

"You're slipping. Normally, you would have been following their schedule and should have known they got in early."

He adjusted his glasses again, "Maybe back in high school, however, I find myself even busier now with work and running a business. Are you stating that their schedule is more important than my own?"

She gulped, "Uh, no."

"MOMMY! Don't scare our children! They just got home! We should celebrate!" Tamaki cried out and grabbed the twins, holding them tightly.

With that, the tension was broken and lunch turned into a Welcome Home party for Kaoru and Hikaru. It wasn't that Kyoya ever had any intention of destroying the twins, but he did want them the squirm just a little…and maybe he wasn't done toying with them or Haruhi. Maybe. For now though, he would welcome his friends back and celebrate with the others. Later, he would endeavor to get the truth out of one of the twins, and he had a feeling it had something to do with a certain brunette.


	4. Letting Go

**A/N: I hope all of you had a wonderful Fourth of July for those of you in the U.S. I'm still in Virginia, so I won't be back to my normal updating schedule until next week. Sorry about that everyone, but been spending quality time with my sis and her family. Now for the story. Some of you were curious about how Hikaru felt about all of this, therefore, in this you will get to find out some of Hikaru's thoughts. Enjoy the new chapter!**

Chapter 4 – Letting Go

Hikaru had observed his little brother throughout the day – well, when he could. There were a few times he had to fight Tamaki and push the blond off of him because the former president got a little over emotional. When the blond did that, he would grab his "sons" and start crying on their shoulders. It was almost tempting to set his hair on fire yet again, but the older twin behaved and nothing untoward happened to his friend…yet. He would however, reserve the right to pull a prank at a later date. He may have matured, but he was still Hikaru Hitachiin.

Needless to say, his observation time had been interrupted a time or ten, and not only that, Hikaru had the distinct impression the Shadow King had been studying him for some reason – more so than his brother. Maybe to plot revenge? He didn't know, and honestly, he didn't much care. This wouldn't have been the first time he and his brother had wound up on Kyoya's bad side. Oh those days of old...fond memories – especially those memories that ended with Tamaki screaming like a little girl or yelling for "mommy" to take care of the evil twins.

Laying back on his bed, he let out a small sigh. They had finally been able to return to their new abode at 10:00pm. Actually, they had finally been able to return and kick everyone out at one in the morning. Needless to say he was exhausted, but he could now reflect on what he saw today. He very seriously doubted, given how his brother acted the day before, Haruhi understood the entire situation - not that that was a big surprise given the fact she was a bit oblivious in the romance department. Thinking about that led to thoughts of Arai, and Hikaru winced. Yeah, a bit oblivious was probably being too kind. It was more like completely clueless. There were times he wondered if someone had to hit her over the head with a baseball bat before she would get the hint that someone liked her as more than a friend. Probably…and even then he doubted she would get a clue.

Given the history between Haruhi and the hosts, most would probably assume he wanted her for himself. And at one time, those who believed that would have been right, but not now. Yes, there was still that small tug at his heart strings, that tiny pull; however, she was his high school crush and first love. Haruhi would never be anything more than that any longer. Not to mention, if they did give it a go, he knew he could never make her happy; and she deserved to be happy, to find someone who would love her and treat her right.

Kaoru was just the man…at least in Hikaru's mind. After they had moved to New York, the mirror images had discussed many things, but for some reason, Haruhi was never one of those topics; and then when he got in trouble and chose to man up and deal with his punishment himself, something changed. One night after that incident, when they were talking to the brunette on Skype, Hikaru noticed the softened expression on his brother's face, the way he gave her his full attention, and the way his whole being seemed to be smiling just because he was talking to her. Not only that, but Hikaru also noticed his brother would call her at other points of time just to talk to her about nothing or hear her voice, times when Hikaru would be unable to talk to her. It was more than obvious that his little brother wanted to have alone time with their former "toy". An enlightening and surprising experience to be sure, and one that finally opened his eyes to what was right in front of him. His brother was in love, and if Hikaru had to guess, Kaoru had been in love with her for a while.

At first, Hikaru would admit to a smidgen of jealousy, for not only did he bear witness to Kaoru's feelings, there was something in Haruhi's voice, in her expression, that told him that she might harbor some feelings for the younger twin as well. Old feelings surfaced and it felt like an arrow had been thrust into his own heart. It burned and ached – and no, it wasn't just heart burn. In in the past, he had loved her. His feelings were real, and now that he saw his own sibling's feelings, everything came rushing back to the surface.

It could have ended there. If he had told Kaoru to back off or that he still loved Haruhi, Hikaru knew his brother would back off and give up on the girl, but the older Hitachiin twin had changed and grown up. Stepping back, he really thought about his own feelings and desires, and what he discovered helped to guide him. Hikaru loved his brother. He loved Haruhi, but he now he loved her only as a friend. Yes, she would always be his first love and special to him, but all romantic feelings were in the past. Separating himself and really taking stock of his feelings, he knew he would never pursue her. In fact, even if he did have feelings for her, he would never act on them, not after he saw his brother's reaction to her and her reaction to Kaoru. That would have been cruel. There was a time in the not too distant past when he would have behaved in a less mature fashion and would have done something like that, not caring who he hurt as long as he got what he wanted, however, he was no longer that person - thankfully. He had grown up and matured, and finally came into his own. He could separate himself from his brother. While they were twins, once living in their own world, they were now two different people who looked alike living in a much larger world. Changed from his younger self, he knew looking alike did not make them the same person. Kaoru had always been more in tune with others feelings, which according to some scientists and studies made perfect sense. Kaoru was more artistic, creative, and more into the literary side of studies; and Hikaru was more into the science side and analytical. Granted, Hikaru also tended to be more selfish with thoughts of himself only…well, himself and his brother. That was then. Times have changed.

After coming to terms with his own feelings and discovering where his emotions truly lie, Hikaru knew what he had to do. Days after he finished his punishment, he walked into his brother's room and faced him head on…

 ** _Flashback…_**

 _"_ _Hey, I need to talk to you about something," Hikaru announced as he barged into his twin's bedroom._

 _Glancing up briefly from the magazine he was reading, Kaoru could see the seriousness of his brother's expression. Something was up. Putting aside the magazine, he asked, "What's up?" He wasn't expecting what came next._

 _"_ _Have you told Haruhi how you feel?"_

 _Kaoru's mouth gaped open wide as his jaw hit the floor. Had his brother actually said what he thought he had? "Wh-What?"_

 _"_ _Have you talked to Haruhi about your feelings?" Hikaru knew this conversation was coming out of left field. Hell, it was more like coming from a different galaxy._

 _"_ _I-I don't know what you're talking about." It was probably best to deny for now until he figure out what his older brother's angle was; besides, he hadn't admitted his feelings to anyone yet, and had barely just admitted his own feelings to himself._

 _Hikaru expected something along the lines of that kind of reaction, especially after the way he acted in the past in regards to Haruhi. Clearing his throat, he continued, "Look, I know that in the past I have acted in a less than…agreeable way, but I have changed. Time has passed and I have realized is nothing more than a high school crush. That's all. However, I can see how you look at her when you are talking to her, so have you told her?"_

 _With his mind trying to catch up with his ears, Kaoru sat there for a couple of minutes before finally saying, "Um…no, I haven't said anything." His brother was the one person he could never hide anything from, could never lie to because his brother knew him better than anyone. They had lived their lives alone in their own world until their third year in middle school, but it was really their first year in high school that those doors were thrown open and the boundaries they had erected had been blown to smithereens. That being said, he had to wonder if his brother was really trying to encourage him in pursuing Haruhi as a love interest. "Hikaru, I'm a little confused."_

 _Snickering, Hikaru said, "I can see that. It's been a while since I've gotten a good look at your tonsils." He laughed a little longer before he turned serious, "I don't know exactly what's going on between you two, but I think if you love her or have any feelings for her, you should go for it. I'll support you and give you any help I can."_

 _"_ _Thanks," still shocked, Kaoru smiled and was grateful to his brother. It had been something he was worried about because as his feelings for Haruhi grew, he worried he would lose his brother. At one point in time Hikaru had feelings for Haruhi, and if Kaoru had to pick, he wasn't sure he could._

 _The older twin left his sibling alone to think about their conversation and returned to his own room. He felt lighter and more at ease than he had since he realized Kaoru had feelings for the brunette girl._

 ** _End flashback…_**

Before Hikaru knew it, Kaoru had announced that he wanted to return to Japan earlier than originally planned. Haruhi was about to take her bar exam, and his little brother wanted to be there to support her.

The twins rushed through their final preparations for moving back to their home country, and they had made it in the day before her test. And while Hikaru slept, Kaoru forced himself to fight his drowsiness and left the apartment to meet Haruhi. Hikaru couldn't be happier for his brother. There was still that little tug, that little pull of jealousy, he was truly excited for what possibly lay in Kaoru's future.

Turning over in his bed, Hikaru closed his eyes and tried to go to sleep. If he knew his friends, tomorrow would also be a busy day…or he would get a call from Kyoya, one he could not ignore; and based on past experience, it was always best to deal with the Shadow King when one was fully rested.


	5. Meetings and Plots - UH OH!

**A/N: I hope everyone is having a good summer and staying cool. I have to say that writing a more mature set of twins is different, but also fun. It stretches me a bit to try and imagine them grown up and out of school. Enjoy the new chapter! I promise the next chapter will be longer and will start moving this whole romance forward.**

 **PS… For those interested, I have published my book Another Chance and it is available in a softback or e-book on Amazon (although, I have been told you should be able to order the book from major book sellers in 6-8 weeks). Another Chance by Maria Vickers. Thank you everyone!**

 **Chapter 5 – Meetings and Plots…UH OH!**

As his brother slept in the other room, Kaoru lie awake in his own, staring out the window and reliving his favorite moments of the day – and they were not when Tamaki got overly emotional. The younger twin could almost swear he and Hikaru could have entered a wet t-shirt contest and won the grand prize, but that might have sent their blond friend over the edge.

No, his favorite memories from today all included a certain brunette, one that at one point in time had been mistaken for a male student. Looking back on that time in his life, Kaoru wondered how they ever thought she was a he. It all seemed impossible now considering Haruhi had filled out some since her first year at Ouran and had obtained curves in all the right places. When she started Ouran, during her first party, she had been an A cup, and now that he had hugged her and felt her body pressed against his, he could confidently say that she was definitely a C cup. Tamaki would have called him a pervert for noticing that, and he would have probably defended himself saying something along the lines of it being his job to notice since he was in the fashion industry, but in all honestly, Kaoru really only noticed because it was Haruhi. He noticed everything about her: how her eyes crinkled at the corners when she smiled, how her eyes danced when she laughed or was around her closest friends, or how she could just walk into a room and all eyes would turn to look at her. She took the breath away of all six men who knew her best, and Kaoru was sure she took his away more than anyone else… maybe. Then again, when Tamaki got into the role of daddy, she could make him disintegrate, so it might have been a toss-up.

Haruhi was clumsy, had no sense of self, and was cuter than she probably realized, but she had captured his heart long ago. Something intrigued him the moment she walked into Music Room 3 for the first time, and he couldn't really say what it was. Maybe it was the fact that a boy would dare enter the hallowed hall where only girls had dared tread up until that point (with the exception of the hosts of course), or maybe because she looked utterly dreadful in that oversized sweater and horrendous pair of glasses. Kaoru couldn't say for sure. He only knew that when he realized Haruhi was indeed female, his heart rate increased and he was hooked.

Sighing, he wondered what he was going to do next. Tomorrow as a new day and he was back in Japan where he girl he loved lived, but what did that mean? If he didn't do something to get his feelings across, or in the case of Haruhi to come out and confess wholeheartedly, he would lose the girl to another man who was brave enough to take the chance. He forced his brother to rush through their move so they could return home early, now what? He couldn't chicken out now because he wasn't willing to allow another man to hold her. He had his conviction, he had his determination, and his dream. He now just had to act upon it.

And that is where things got a little sticky. He just wasn't sure how to do it. After Tamaki's grandmother's funeral, Kaoru had scratched up the courage to hint at his feelings before he left to return to New York, and the results were less than ideal. He still shuddered when he thought about it.

 ** _Flashback…_**

 _Haruhi, along with the rest of the hosts, had accompanied Hikaru and Kaoru to the airport in order to say goodbye because as Tamaki said, they were still family; and the twins were happy they could still call the hosts their close friends. No matter the distance, they could still depend on their friends and their friends could depend on them._

 _Before going through security, Kaoru pulled Haruhi to the side and said, "I'll miss you."_

 _"_ _I'll miss you and Hikaru too. You two are my best friends. I can't say you're saner than this bunch, but it's always interesting when everyone gets together," she grinned._

 _"_ _I mean…I care about you and just want you to be happy."_

 _"_ _I want the same for you."_

 _This girl could try a saint…not that he was a saint by any means or stretch of the imagination. Haruhi was well known for being dense (it could virtually be considered a superpower for her), but this was ridiculous. Taking in a deep breath, Kaoru prepared himself to lay it all on the line. He opened his mouth, ready to spill his guts, and Tamaki rushed over and jerked him towards security, muttering that if he didn't hurry, he would miss his plane._

 ** _End flashback…_**

He made his flight, but felt he had lost a prime opportunity. The whole thing had been a cluster from the get go, and Kaoru was determined not to make the same mistake twice. He didn't think his ego could take it. This time it had to be right. This time it had to be perfect. And this time, it had to work.

Closing his eyes, he whispered, "Please let her hear what I am really saying."

 ** _Elsewhere…_**

"Mommy, why did we have to come home with you? Why did we have to drop off our daughter if we're having a family meeting? What about our sons? Are you keeping us prisoner? What did we do?! It was those evil doppelgangers!" Tamaki cried out throwing himself upon Kyoya's bedroom floor.

While Hunny and Mori sweat dropped, Kyoya pinched the bridge of his nose and stated, "If I was holding you prisoner, I would not bring you back to my family home and you would have been blindfolded, knocked unconscious, and thrown in the trunk."

Hunny and Mori sweat dropped again, and Tamaki looked almost sickly as he said, "N-Now mommy… You don't want to hurt us. We're family."

"I don't remember a half-French idiot in the family tree."

Before Tamaki could respond, Hunny spoke up, "Kyo-Chan, does this have to do with Kao-Chan and Haru-Chan?"

"What about our precious daughter?" Tamaki inquired, suddenly perky and at attention.

"It does. I take it to mean that you observed what I did?" Kyoya responded.

Nodding, Mori said, "We did."

"What? What did you see, mommy?" Tamaki interrupted.

"What about Hikaru?" Mori ignored the blond.

"If I am right, he will not be an obstacle."

Hunny asked, "And if he was?"

Smirking, Kyoya stated, "Then we would have to deal with him separately."

Just seeing that evil grin caused Tamaki's whole body to feel chilled to the bone…and he still didn't understand what everyone was talking about. "What about Haruhi, Hikaru, and Kaoru?!" He screamed.

"Tamaki, while I fully understand that my room is soundproof, I will still ask that you keep your voice down. It is the early morning hours and people are still sleeping," Kyoya ordered.

The blonde's jaw snapped shut with an audible click.

Seeing his friend compliant, the Shadow King decided it was now time to gently break the news to their king, "Kaoru is in love with Haruhi, and I do believe Haruhi feels the same." (Did I say gently? I meant rip the band-aide off in one go.)

His mouth opened and closed like a fish at least twenty times before he regained his senses and declared, "That's not possible! They have been separated all this time!"

"Tama-Chan, they've been talking on the phone and on Skype…just like us," Hunny patted his friend's shoulder.

"Hunny is quite right. In addition, I do believe that there were some feelings between them before they left for New York, which were observed when Hikaru and Kaoru returned for the funeral. There is that famous saying, 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder'," Kyoya explained.

Tamaki was trying to wrap his head around the fact that the twin Haruhi may wind up with was Kaoru, when he kind of thought it would have been Hikaru. Long ago, he himself had given up the idea that he had a chance with the brunette and moved on, but he could always tell that Haruhi held a special place in the older twin's heart, and therefore, Tamaki never considered that Kaoru would make his move or have feelings for the once secret princess. "What about Hikaru?" Inquired the former princely type. He didn't want either of his friends hurt, and he had a feeling if both of them had feelings for her, someone's heart would be utterly broken.

"Hika-Chan has moved on…at least I think he has," Hunny answered.

"Are we sure? He loved her…."

"That was in high school. Everyone has grown up since then, and even I'm impressed at how drastically Hikaru has matured," Kyoya stated.

"Are you sure?"

"Unfortunately, since I do not possess the ability to read minds, we will have to ask him to be 100% sure, but based upon my observations and a few other factors, I believe the likelihood is around 97%."

Jumping up, Hunny excitedly asked, "So what's the plan, Kyo-Chan?"

"I do believe Hikaru will find himself in a new environment, and when that happens, we can ask him ourselves. For the time being though, I have prepared rooms for everyone to stay the night. We can meet with him during the day."

The look on the Shadow King's face and the glimmer in his eye, made everyone wonder what exactly the bespectacled man had up his sleeve; however, they knew when it came to him, you never knew exactly what he was thinking or plotting. Tomorrow was going to be interesting.


	6. Determined

**A/N: First and foremost, I want to say congrats to CrazyKitCat for passing your classes! Great job! Next, I am sure all of you are ready for this whole relationship to really kick off. It will. Enjoy!**

Chapter 6 – Determined

"Haruhi, I love you. What I mean by that is, I've been in love with you since high school…romantically," Kaoru stared at his reflection in the mirror and practiced what he was going to say to the brunette who occupied a good portion of his thoughts throughout the day. The previous night, he had decided to spill his guts to her, and this morning he realized how nervous he was and decided to practice. And he decided…he sounded utterly stupid. It sounded fake and rehearsed and he was afraid she still wouldn't understand what he was trying to say, which is why he threw in the word "romantically", but it still sounded like complete rubbish.

Where was his brother when he needed a pep talk? When he had gotten up this morning, Hikaru's bedroom door was open and he was gone. Which reminded him, he needed to have a discussion about Hikaru leaving and not closing the front door completely or locking it. Anyone could have waltzed in at any point in time. Sometimes Kaoru really believed his brother was careless. Yes, Hikaru might be older by a couple of minutes, but he wasn't the most adult like adult out there.

Sighing, he looked at his reflection. His hair was perfect, his facial hair was neat and trimmed, and his face was flushed bright red. Wait! His face shouldn't have been glowing like that. While it might have been slightly unnerving and embarrassing to confess to a mirror, it wasn't on par with his face. And now that he thought about it, he had felt a little queasy and feverish this morning, but he chalked it up to his anxiety; however, standing there in that moment, he realized how horrible he actually felt.

This was not good! He had plans with Haruhi today, he couldn't be sick! And yet, he was. Maybe he could fake it and pretend to be well, at least until he confessed. Maybe she wouldn't notice that he seemed flushed. The likelihood of all that happening was on par with Kyoya being a real demon with supernatural abilities…actually, that might actually be true, so his chances of Haruhi not noticing something was wrong was slim. Still, he had to try. This might be his one and only chance!

And of course now that he admitted that he wasn't feeling well, he felt even worse. Today was turning into a horrendous day, and he couldn't help but throw a little tantrum, stomping his foot before he fell backwards onto his bed and grumbling, "This isn't fair!" His threw his arm over his eyes and muttered, "I'll rest for five minutes and then go and pick her up. I'm not missing our date."

Five minutes later he felt even worse, but he refused to stay home. He refused to miss his chance. He had psyched himself up and had to confess before his lost his nerve again. Forcing himself off of the bed, he grabbed his shoes and went into the living room, slowly and carefully putting them on by the door. The room spun ever so slightly when he bent over, so he had to work the shoes onto his feet without the use of his hands, afraid that if he sat down to take care of the task, he would not be getting up again.

Shoes finally on, he cautiously made his way to the waiting car. The one good thing about just returning to Japan, he didn't have a car yet and was dependent on a driver. There was no way he could drive in his condition. As it was, he prayed his driver took it easy because he honestly felt like he wanted to throw-up as it was. Maybe he could do a drive-by confession. Get out, run up the stairs, confess, and then leave. It would be better than subjecting her to his germs.

The plan sounded perfect. True, it was rushed, but at least he got his feelings out and she got to hear them from his lips instead of through the phone, text message, or email. Or even, heaven forbid, from another person's mouth.

On the ride to her apartment, the dizziness increased, and so did his other symptoms. If it wasn't for the fact he and his brother were on good terms with Nekozawa, he would almost believe that someone was cursing him. Then again, if Tamaki knew his intentions, the blond might actually try to curse him. Kaoru laughed at that thought. Even during illness, the mere thought of sending Tamaki into one of his fits amused Kaoru.

"Sir?" The driver called out to the man in the back seat.

His eyes snapping open, Kaoru took in his surroundings and noticed the vehicle was stopped in front of Haruhi's apartment building. When had they arrived? When had he even fallen asleep? "Uh, thanks. Wait for me. I won't be long," he announced and slowly got out of the car. His head was still spinning and he wanted to crawl back into his bed, but not without proclaiming his love to Haruhi first.

He made his way up the stairs, holding onto the railing for dear life, his knuckles turning white from the effort. Five more steps. Four, three, two, one…when he finally reached the second floor, his body swayed and he almost fell backwards, but someone caught him before he could. He turned his head so he could give his appreciation and almost passed out.

"My, my. Freshly back from New York and already falling over yourself to get to my daughter," Ranka snickered. That is until he caught the younger man and could feel how feverish his body was even through his clothes. This was not good. "Come on Kaoru. Let's get you inside."

"How you know who I was?" His words were a bit slurred not quite recognizing the person who was helping him. With his eyes closed, he was focusing more on not passing out than he was the voice or the actual person helping him.

"You have red hair and fuzz on your face. Haruhi said Hikaru still had brown hair. Just so you know, this is not how to greet a lady."

Kaoru still couldn't quite make out the person helping him, but somehow, he managed to look even more sheepish than he already did, "Sowwy."

Chuckling, the father shook his head, "Let's just get you inside."

The younger man shook his head and tried to push his helper aside, "No. I need to tell her I love her. I can't go with you."

"Tell who?"

"Haruhi, my best friend."

"You can tell her inside," there was a great deal of amusement lacing Ranka's words.

"I can't go with you! I have to tell her."

"Tell her inside."

"But I have to go to her house."

"I'm taking you there."

"You are?"

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Honestly, the cross-dresser wanted to laugh, but he managed to keep it in.

"I don't know. Who are you?"

Deadpanning, Ranka said, "The Queen of Sheeba."

"If you're royalty, why are you at a commoner's dwelling? Are you visiting too?"

Ranka sweat dropped and probably would have face palmed if he wasn't holding the younger man up. "Kaoru, I'm Ranka."

"Ranka?" Kaoru questioned, and then it seemed as if the name made some sort of connection in his brain, "Ranka! I'm here to see Haruhi!"

"That's what you said." In heels, dragging the other man to the apartment was not the easiest feat, but somehow, someway, he managed it. He tried propping the former devil type against the wall so he could open the door, but Kaoru started to pitch forward. Instead, Ranka grabbed the younger man and kicked the door with his shoe, "If I scuff my new heels, you're buying me a new pair."

"Okay! I'll even design you a new pair."

Before he could respond, the door was pulled open, "What's going on? Did you forget your key?"

"Not quite. I couldn't open the door because of this one," the father grumbled and together with his package, shuffled into the house. "Get the guest futon and a blanket. Kaoru's sick. Why he came here in this condition, I have no idea."

"We were supposed to have brunch today, but if he was sick, he could have cancelled," Haruhi explained before rushing to get the futon. Her friend looked pale and almost ashen. Was he all right? "What happened, dad?" She asked as she spread out the guest futon in the living room so her father could deposit her friend upon it.

"I'm not sure. I was coming up the stairs and he was at the top and almost fell backwards. I caught him and brought him here. Honey, I think his car is still downstairs. Will you…" Ranka was going to ask his daughter to tell the driver he could go since he wasn't going to send the young man home in his current condition, but he stopped when he saw how worried Haruhi was. "I'll go. Why don't you try to get him to wake up and take some medicine?" Kaoru had finally succumb and passed out while Haruhi was preparing the bed.

"Okay," she answered softly, brushing Kaoru's bangs away from his forehead. Hearing the sound of the door close, she rushed to get the first aid kit and stuck a fever patch on his forehead to help bring down his temperature. She tried to rouse him in order to take some medicine, however, he didn't stir at all. When her father returned, she told him, "I couldn't get him to take anything."

"Let's see if the patch helps a little and then we'll try again in a bit. Do you know where Hikaru is?"

"I don't know. I should probably call him and let him know about Kaoru." Calling the number to the elder twin, Haruhi got voice mail and left a message. Who knew where he was, but she had a feeling if she hadn't at least attempted to call, Hikaru would have gone postal. As it was, he couldn't say she didn't try. Now she just had to focus on Kaoru and helping him feel better. "Did he say anything on the way in?"

Ranka was pretty sure Kaoru wanted to confess himself, therefore, the father only said, "He just said he was here to see you." Inwardly, he smiled. Even before the twins had returned to Japan, Ranka knew his daughter loved one of them, even if she refused to tell him anything – apparently, his daughter didn't understand girl talk. Seeing her worry over the sick man lying in their living room, her thoughts and feelings appeared on her face for all to see, her normal mask stripped away. "He'll be fine, Haruhi."

"I know that. I'm sure it's just cold or something," she snapped.

"I'm sure. Well, take good care of him, my dear little girl!"

"Where are you going?"

"My room. I simply have to change out of this dress. A customer spilled their whisky on me already."

"Oh. Okay." Her focus returned to the sick man and she turned her father out.

Shutting the door of his room behind him, Ranka pulled out his cell phone and called the one person who he loved to gossip with, "Kyoya! Guess what happened today…"

 ** _Elsewhere…_**

Hikaru slowly woke up and the first thing he noticed, the room he was in was devoid of boxes. The second thing he noticed, he wasn't in his room. That jolted him and he was suddenly very awake. When had he left his apartment? How did he get here? Where the hell was here?

"My son is finally awake!" Tamaki shouted after peeking into the room…for the past thirty minutes.

"Tono?" Hikaru questioned still slightly confused. Was he at the Suoh estate? "Where are we?"

"Mommy's house!"

"Mom…You mean Kyoya-senpai's house?"

"Exactly!"

"WHY?" His voice was rising in volume.

"Don't you want to see us?" Tears started forming in the blonde's eyes as black aura started to surround him. Dropping to the ground, he hugged his legs to his chest and started to pout.

Rolling his eyes skyward, Hikaru grumbled, "Some things never change." Slowly he breathed in and out and then asked again, "Why am I here? How did I get here?"

"Mommy had some men go to your apartment and bring you here this morning. You were still sleeping though."

"Why?" He tried not to sound harsh or snippy, but it was truly a difficult feat.

"To talk."

"To talk?"

"Uh huh."

It felt like he was going around in circles with his friend and finally Hikaru growled, "Why the hell am I here, and why do we need to talk?"

"You're here to discuss Haruhi and your brother," Kyoya proclaimed as he sauntered through the door and pushed up his glasses. "I do apologize, but I was on the phone and Tamaki got here first."

"My…What's wrong with Kaoru and Haruhi?"

"As of right now, it would seem that your brother is ill and is being nursed back to health by Haruhi."

"MY DAUGHTER IS BEING EXPOSED…!" Before Tamaki could say anything else, Mori muffled his mouth with a large hand.

The kendo champion stated, "Let him finish."

Pushing up his glasses again, Kyoya smirked, "As I was saying…Kaoru is being cared for at the moment and as we have seen in the past, Haruhi is more than capable of carrying for herself or another sick individual. My question is more of a personal nature. It is glaringly obvious that the two of them harbor feelings for each other. Will you stand in their way or support them?"

Once again, Hikaru rolled his eyes, "If I didn't support him, we wouldn't have flown in early. We rushed to get back so Kaoru could be here when she started her bar exam."

"I see. Very well then."

"Mommy, does this mean we're going to play matchmaker?"

"So it would seem, however, I believe we will hold off on implementing any plan."

"Why Kyo-Chan?" Hunny asked innocently.

His smirk grew, "If she is nursing him back to health, there may be some interesting developments. Ranka informed me of the current situation and will report again in a couple of hours."

Tamaki started to press his index fingers together and inquired, "Does Ranka approve?"

"So it would seem," Kyoya looked down at his friend, seeing the wheels turn, and knew exactly what the blond was trying to say. "Kaoru isn't you."

"Eek!" Tamaki screeched and froze in place before falling over, his soul escaping from his mouth.

Things were falling into place, but what would happen next? Time would tell if the hosts would be interfering or if Kaoru would finally make his move.


	7. Force Fed Kiss

**A/N: I received some awesome news today. My Twilight FF Meetings, Memories, and Destiny was nominated for top ten finished Twilight FF of August. If you would like to vote for me, I would greatly appreciate it. The link is www dot twifanfictionrecs dot com. You can vote once a day per device. THANK YOU! I know that this is an Ouran story, but since some of you read all genres and I'm not below just asking for the votes. LOL. Also, if you have not seen, I have completed a two shot for Tamaki/Haruhi entitled Against All Odds, and a one shot for Kyoya/Haruhi entitled Coffee IV. Check them out if you would like. For this story, poor Kaoru is sick, but at least the person he loves is his own personal nurse. Enjoy!**

Chapter 7 – Force Fed Kiss

A cool hand brushed against his skin and Kaoru stretched in order to follow the sensation. It felt good on his heated skin and he didn't want to lose it. His fever was making his skin burn and he felt like he was on fire, and he desperately needed something to quench the burning ache. His skin felt as if it would melt off his body, his joints and muscles protested with every little movement he made, and his head screamed at him as it throb and pounded, turning his brain to complete mush.

What was he doing again? Where was he? He no longer knew, and honestly, he wasn't sure he actually cared; and yet, as much as he didn't want to respond, didn't want to do anything except to sink into blissful oblivion where he might find an ice bed to lie upon, a grating voice wouldn't leave him alone. Whoever said that some people's voices reminded them of angels when one was sick had certainly been delusional. To Kaoru, the voice added to his discomfort and was more demonic than angelic. People talking while he was sick were certainly from the devil and could in no way come from heaven above.

"Kaoru, open your eyes. I need to you drink this medicine," Haruhi tried to coax her friend to wake up.

Scrunching his face, he remembered why that was such a bad idea. He felt the lip of a cup press against his mouth and attempted to bat it away, and when that awful voice started speaking again, he tried to slap that away as well. Why wouldn't the sound stop?

"Kaoru!" The brunette was trying to be understanding and caring because her friend due to her friend's sickly condition, but pushing away the cup of medicine she prepared and making it spill in her lap…her patience was wearing a little on the thin side. If he didn't take the medicine, she worried his fever would continue to increase in temperature. It had already gone up from 102.1 to 102.7. The fever patch wasn't working as it should and if he refused to take the medicine, it might just be better to get him to the emergency room. Of course she had made that suggestion an hour ago, and her father put the kibosh on that saying he had talked to Kyoya and the Shadow King said Kaoru didn't need a hospital. As the numbers on the thermometer continued to go up instead of down, she once again wondered if they weren't wrong about the analysis of the current situation. If he wouldn't take the medicine, then she might not have a choice in the matter.

Haruhi called out to him again, and still he did not open his eyes. The only movement he made was the slightly furrowing of his brow. Did she dare? She had turned the fever meds into a powder and mixed with water so that they would be easier to take, however, if he wouldn't drink up, then she would have to use other measures available to her.

One more time. Getting up, she pulverized the pills once again and mixed them in with another glass of water. If this didn't work then she was calling for an ambulance. She took her place next to Kaoru's futon, lifted his upper body using an arm behind his shoulders, took a swig of the bitter tasting drink, and then pressing down on his chin so that his mouth would open, she sealed their lips together and forced the liquid into his mouth. Now that his mouth was open, she massaged his throat forcing him to swallow the medicine, and when the liquid had disappeared, she gathered more of it and repeated the process. Lips to lips. She tried to tell herself that she was helping her friend, but it felt more intimate and she couldn't help but noticed how soft his lips were against hers.

Through the fog that had eclipsed his mind, Kaoru felt something pressing against his mouth. Were they what he thought they were? Slowly opening his eyes, he caught a glimpse of ivory skin and a mop of brown hair. At that moment, the only person that came to mind was Haruhi. Haruhi was kissing him, and therefore, this was a dream, and in a dream you could do anything you wanted to. Lifting his own arm, he wrapped it around her neck taking away her ability to pull back. Holding her prisoner, he mumbled, "I love you, Haruhi. Only you." With his declaration made, he sealed their lips together once again, and when she gasped in surprise, he took full advantage and plundered her mouth with his tongue. This was a dream anyway, so it didn't matter what he did. Ending the kiss, he was now satisfied and fell back into his dreamless state with a ghost of a smile appearing on his lips.

One minute her patient was confessing and kissing her breathless, to the point she couldn't think properly, and the next, he passed out and fell against his pillow. He was out cold and her emotions were in a frenzy. Did he mean what he said? Maybe it was just the fever talking, but he had called her name. Her name. No one else, only her. Suddenly, there was a new hope in her chest and she couldn't wait for Kaoru to feel better.

Her ministrations worked. Within 30 min, his temperature had gone down ever so slightly, and within an hour, he wasn't as hot to the touch. He would be all right, and she could finally breathe a small sigh of relief. He was still sick and she still had to watch him like a hawk – or so she believed – but at least his fever was going in the right direction now.

Taking a towel and a bowl of cool water, she stripped him of his shirt and started to wipe down his body. It wasn't as if this was indecent; after all, she had seen him in his bathing suit on more than one occasion. This was fine. Still she couldn't help but admire contours of his chest or how his flat stomach dipped here and there...her eyes following a couple of lines until they disappeared into his pants.

"Haruhi, why are you all red? Are you starting to run a fever too?" Ranka exclaimed and rushed to his daughter's side. "You're a little warm. Maybe you shouldn't have taken care of Kaoru!" He tried to jerk her to her feet, "Come on. You need to get in bed."

"I fine dad! I'm not running a fever, so you don't have to worry," she grumbled and continued with her task as soon as she freed herself from his bear hug.

Ranka took a step back and watched her for a moment before a knowing smile appeared on his red lips, "Oh I see. Giving him a sponge bath and my innocent little girl is embarrassed."

"I am not!"

"Then why are you red?"

"It's just a little warm in here. Open a window and let's get a breeze in here. Besides, it might help him to get a little fresh air as well."

"I see. Of course," he grinned and did as she bid; and as soon as he was in his room once again, he sent a text to Kyoya. A few minutes passed and he couldn't stand it any longer. He pulled out his phone and hit the call button.

 ** _At the Ootori mansion…_**

Hearing that he had received a text message, Kyoya opened it to find a video attached and as he watched it a smirk appeared. This was at least a little bit of progress.

"Takashi, why does Kyo-Chan look like he is about to have fun destroying the world?" Hunny asked his cousin. Indeed Kyoya did appear as if he was the cat that ate the canary.

"Mommy, you're scaring me…I mean the others! You're scaring the others!" Tamaki yelled.

His smirk growing, Kyoya announced, "It would appear that Haruhi managed to get Kaoru to take his medicine and then was duly rewarded."

"How?" The four other people asked.

Instead of telling them, he decided to put the video up on the big screen for all to see. Tamaki screeched before passing out muttering something about his daughter's lost innocence. Hikaru commented, "I didn't think she had it in her." Hunny inquired, "Does this mean they're together now?" And Mori shrugged in order to answer his cousin's question.

Pushing up his glasses, Kyoya announced, "This only means that the groundwork has been laid. My guess is that Kaoru may not actually remember what happened while he had his high fever; however, this is a step in the right direction." Before anyone could say anything else, his phone started to ring again. Seeing who the caller was, he immediately answered and put the phone on speaker, "Ranka! Your directorial debut is a success."

"Oh you are too sweet! Thank you!" Ranka giggled coquettishly. "And do you know what she is doing right now?"

"Saying her prayers and hoping her daddy will forgive her?" Tamaki pulled himself together in time to ask.

"YOU WORM! I'M HER ONLY FATHER!"

The blond could practically see the redhead coming through the phone and yelped. Afraid of what would happen to him, he dove behind the couch to hide.

Kyoya pushed up his glasses again and asked, "What is she doing?"

"Well, my dear boy, she is giving Kaoru a sponge bath and turning red doing it!" Ranka announced loudly.

A small squeak came from behind the couch, "A sponge…"

"I think that broke the boss again. His soul is escaping," Hikaru disclosed looking over the back of the couch and seeing the white cloud escaping from Tamaki's mouth.

"Leave him," Kyoya instructed. His attention back on his phone call, he said, "This is an interesting turn of events. How is the patient doing?"

"His fever seems to be coming down now that she was able to feed him the medicine," Ranka snickered. "Ah, my little girl is growing up and in love with such a nice man."

Hikaru's head tilted, "She is?"

"Of course she is! Did you think she didn't return your brother's feelings?"

"I wasn't sure. She's kind of…well…she's a little…

Mori and Hunny helped their friend, "Dense and doesn't show emotion."

"That would be it," Hikaru agreed.

"People change," the father responded. "Now if you will excuse me, my little girl is calling. I'll report in again later." He hung up without another word.

"So are we going to wait, Kyo-Chan?" Hunny inquired.

Nodding, Kyoya told the group, "It would seem Kaoru's illness has been a blessing in disguise. We will continue to monitor its progress." Inside, he couldn't wait to see what the next report would bring…maybe a wedding announcement?


	8. Stalker

**A/N: Well, things are progressing nicely for Kaoru and Haruhi, but Kaoru isn't even aware of it. What is going to happen next? Now I have a decision to make and I wanted to ask you what you wanted… Do you want some M aspects added to this story, or should I leave it as T? Let me know by PM or review. Enjoy!**

Chapter 8 – Stalker

Haruhi's lips still tingled, and her face still felt like it was on fire. She had a hard time turning Kaoru onto his stomach after wiping down his front, and had to ask her dad to help out. Odd because she had been able to lift him when she fed him medicine. Had it been only adrenaline? Maybe her nerves had gotten to her when she needed to turn him…or maybe it was more than nerves. She had to admit that as she wiped him down, her breath had caught more than once and even Ranka remarked on how breathless she seemed to be. Of course he had teased her that it was because she was looking at a prime example of the male physique. That caused her blush to intensify and she told her dad to take care of her friend for a few minutes while she ran to the corner store.

While her excuse was to pick up some sports drinks to help keep Kaoru hydrated, the real reason she rushed out of there was because she needed to escape. Her father was too close to the mark and Haruhi desperately needed to get her head back on straight, or she may say or do something that she would regret. Then again, maybe the results would surprise her. Her father had been brave enough to proclaim his love over and over again to her mother until Kotoko finally agreed to go out with him…and it had worked for them. Now she wasn't (in no way shape or form) comparing her situation to them, but in a way, they were similar. For her parents, it was boy in love with girl and he confessed until he wore her down. In Haruhi's situation, it was girl in love with boy and no one had confessed. If things remained the way they were, there would be zero progress and Kaoru might end up with someone else; however, if she could muster up the courage to tell him how she felt…well, she would either fall flat on her face and make a good friendship awkward, or he would accept her and they could take their relationship to the next level.

The thing that gave her hope and courage, Kaoru's delusional confession right before he had kissed her. Yes, he was sick, but there had to be something there if he had something audacious like that. And he even said her name explicitly, no one else. Could she take it to heart? Try as she might to fight it, and she did a little, she couldn't help except to believe in it and to feel happiness spread throughout her being.

Stopping in her stride, she stood there in the middle of the sidewalk five feet from the entrance of the store. Something else hit her like a ton of bricks. The man she was in love with, the very man lying sick in her apartment, was a notorious prankster. Together with his brother, they had pulled more pranks and caused more trouble in their school careers (most happened in the last three years – high school) than Ouran had probably seen in its entire history. Years after they graduated, the prestigious high school for rich kids was probably still trying to recuperate. What if this was some elaborate scheme on behalf of the twins? They had already shown that they were up to their old sneaky ways when they did not inform their friends that they were coming back early in order to prank them. What if Kaoru really wasn't sick and was just playing with her? Would he go that far? Shaking her head, she didn't think even Hikaru was that mean, which meant neither was Kaoru since he was less vindictive than his older sibling.

She walked into the store and grabbed four sports drinks and froze again, muttering, "Normally they aren't that mean, but they are also the ones who pretended to hate each other and forced us to close the Host Club for a week just so they could come to my house during our first year in high school. During our second year, Hikaru convinced all of us he was on his deathbed and Tamaki wrote his eulogy. That was the same year Kaoru convinced everyone that he was in love with Kyoya, and made the Shadow King turn him down more than a dozen times. In our third year, the rose maze was set on fire and I know they were behind it, but they somehow came out smelling like innocent roses. Our chairman was even convinced they had changed their ways until they loaded the podium with firecrackers that exploded during one of his speeches at an assembly. His nerves were completely frayed and he had to take a month long vacation. He still jumps when he hears the littlest pop or explosion. Hell, during the funeral of Tamaki's grandmother, we had to make sure they hadn't added anything to the coffin before it was sent to be cremated because no one trusted them. Thankfully they hadn't put anything in, but still. And I can't forget that he was a host and is used to lying to girls."

"Excuse me," another customer tried to get Haruhi's attention.

"This is Kaoru Hitachiin. I wouldn't put anything past him," the brunette grumbled to herself, and jumped when someone tapped her shoulder.

Jumping himself when she did, the other customer said, "Excuse me, but are you done? I needed to get one of those." He pointed towards the sports drinks.

She backed away from the refrigerator and apologized, "I'm sorry. Yes, I'm done." Before she could turn redder or make a bigger fool of herself, she hurried towards the register and paid for her merchandise.

"Hey!" A voice called after her.

Turning back around, Haruhi found the same guy she had blocked at the convenience store. Had she forgot something? "Yes? May I help you?"

A smile appeared on the stranger's face, "I was just wondering if you would like to join me for dinner."

She raised a brow and shook her head, "No, thank you."

"How about coffee then?" He offered in a rush.

Narrowing her eyes, Haruhi tilted her head and said, "You don't know me and for all you know I could be married. So why would I go out with you?" She wasn't trying to be mean, just factual, straight forward, and blunt…like she normally was.

"In that case, I'm Kenji Suzuki and you are…?"

"Haruhi Fujioka."

"Now that we know each other, how about joining me for dinner or coffee."

"I'm sorry, but the answer is still no." She turned around and started walking towards her house once again.

If he was anything, Kenji was determined and when he wanted something, he did not easily let it go. Following her, he asked, "Why not? It seemed to me that if you are actually attached, the man you are dating or married to, doesn't know how to show you the level of affection you need."

She couldn't stop the third demon from emerging. Red tick marks appeared overhead and a black aura started to surround her. Spinning around, she slapped Kenji and growled, "You have no clue what you are talking about, so before you speak bad about anyone, you might want to take a look in the mirror. You even said I might be married, but you don't care about that at all? What kind of man are you? The kind that would prey upon anyone and everyone with no care who you hurt in the process. I know eight, yes eight, gentlemen that could spin circles around you because they are so much better than you. Not because of anything except how they treat ladies. They are perfect gentlemen and you are the scum on their shoes. If I were you, I would leave me alone. The man I love is not only a gentleman who knows how to treat a lady, but he knows how to treat his friends and the others around him and he cares about more than just himself. Now good day!" She spun on her heal and marched towards her apartment her hand still tingling from where it hit his cheek. How dare he?!

A block from her house, she thought she heard steps echoing hers and it felt as if she was being followed. A brief glimpse over her shoulder told her Kenji had decided to tail her, and instead of taking her time to get to the house, she ran as fast as she could, praying she would not fall flat on her face. She may have gotten better in regards to handling people and making friends while being a host, but her clumsiness had yet to correct itself.

Her feet moved as fast as they could, but she could hear him gaining on her. Not only was she still clumsy, she still couldn't be considered athletic by any means and the guy following her looked as if he went to the gym on a daily basis. She could by no means consider herself a match for him, but she would do what she could in order to not be captured…assuming of course he was actually following her and not going out for a leisurely jog after she had turned him down. And she still had her ace in the hole. Pulling out her phone, she hit memory #2, and as soon as it connected, she said breathlessly, "Kyoya, help. Man following. Ouch, pain in side. Hurry!" She tripped over a crack and her phone flew out of her hand landing against a wall. The back fell off and the battery popped out. The phone was dead.

Steps were getting closer and closer and she prepared herself to scream bloody murder if needed.

"Haruhi, are you all right?" Kenji asked and rushed to her, but before he could a redheaded woman was beside her before he could help.

"Oh my poor little girl! I told you to be careful!" Ranka chastised and assisted his daughter to her feet before he found another man standing there. Instant dislike. He wasn't sure what it was, but his daddy sensor was blaring and he knew this man was bad news…worse than Tamaki, and that was a feat in and of itself. Smiled a brilliantly, the father asked, "Oh, and who are you?"

"Um, I'm Kenji. I saw her fall and was just trying to help her."

"I see. Well, thank you for your assistance, but I'm sure we can get it from here."

"Who are you, ma'am?"

Normally, that might make Ranka happy, but today he cringed inwardly. His smile grew as he informed the other man, "I'm her father and I will take care of her myself. As you can see, she is fine and I will take her home now. Haruhi, did you forget that your boyfriend is waiting for you at the apartment?"

Seeing it as the out it was, Haruhi gasped, "No, I forgot he was coming over this early. I thought he would be a little later."

"Thank the good man and let's go."

She turned towards Kenji and bowed, "Thank you. Goodbye." Accepting her father's assistance, they both turned around and started walking towards the apartment. When she didn't hear someone following her, she inquired, "Did Kyoya call you?"

"He did, but I was also on my way to check on you since you were taking longer than you should have. Want to tell me what happened?"

"I got the stuff and he followed me out of the store and asked me out. I declined and even slapped him and he followed me some more. I started running and tripped. You found me just as he had caught up."

"Haruhi, I love you, but daddy has said this before…he would have caught you even if you hadn't fallen. Good thing I was on my way."

"Is Kyoya coming over?"

"He and the others might. We need to call him and let him know what happened."

"My phone."

"What about it?"

"I dropped it," she pointed towards the pieces and Ranka went and grabbed them. "Is it broken?"

"No. It looks like the battery just fell out. It should be fine. There are a few scratches, but that's it."

"Okay." Once they reached the house, she mumbled, "I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

Snickering, Ranka ushered her inside and caught a glimpse of Kenji ducking into an alley across the street. It appeared he hadn't given up yet. "Kyoya might have a few things to say. I'll call him."

"No, I'll do it."

"Haruhi?"

"Yeah, dad?" She asked as she knelt beside Kaoru and placed her hand on his forehead. He was still warm but cooler to the touch.

Crossing his arms over his chest, he said, "That man is across the street. Let Kyoya know."

A chill went through her, "I will." Quickly, she put her phone back together and after it powered up, she called her friend, the Shadow King again. This was not going to be fun. "Kyoya?"

"Haruhi. I see that you are still alive and safe. Do I need to turn my car around and call off the hounds of hell?" Kyoya asked.

"Hounds of hell?"

"What else am I supposed to call Tamaki, Hikaru, and Hunny at the moment?"

Sweat dropping, she cleared her throat and explained what had happened at the store and the events that followed, and then she said, "Dad saw him across the street."

"What was his name again?"

She could hear his fingers hitting the keys, "Kenji Suzuki."

"We will take care of it and be over shortly. I warn you now, I cannot be responsible for Tamaki's actions. Please warn your father."

Another sweat drop and she deadpanned, "Yeah, I'll be sure to do that."

Just because she needed some air in order to think things through, now she was dealing with a stalker, but then again, maybe he lived in the area? She was so dead. Tamaki was going to kill her with a hug before she could confess to Kaoru. It was turning into a not so great day, and it wasn't even close to ending yet.


	9. Angels or Demons?

**A/N: Yikes, a stalker! You had to have known that I wasn't going to make this completely easy, however, her friends are on the way to save the day…and Tamaki may attempt to kill her with a hug. I know the old saying is kill them with kindness, but I think Tamaki tends to take that to another level…at least in my personal inner mind theatre. LOL. Enjoy!**

Chapter 9 – Angels or Demons?

Before the driver could put the car in park, before he could even stop the care completely, three former hosts jumped out of the slow moving vehicle and set their sights on the alley across the street. They would have probably dove in without a thinking if Kyoya had not said, "I believe we need to check on Haruhi and Kaoru. Don't you agree?" The Shadow King knew the mere mention of the secret princess's name would draw their attention and concern; and before he and Mori could step out of the now parked car themselves, Hikaru, Tamaki, and Hunny raced each other up the stairs.

"Are Ranka and Haruhi prepared for that?" Mori questioned as he watched the trio try to one up each other…or at least Tamaki and Hikaru were because Hunny leaped over them and arrived at the door well before his two friends.

"I did warn her," Kyoya smirked pushing up his glasses before signaling one of his body guards over to him. In hushed tones, in instructed, "Tachibana, I need you to see if our stalker is still in the alley. Please do not be seen and make sure you get his exact location. If he is not there, I want you to survey his home. Be careful. He isn't exactly what one would call a Boy Scout."

Bowing, the bodyguard only replied with, "Hai, Kyoya-sama!"

Mori lifted a brow in question and asked, "What did you find out?"

"Let's go and make sure our illustrious king is still alive and I will tell you." He headed for the stairs and when they started to ascend them, Kyoya explained, "He has a past history of assault from when he was a minor, and apparently a short fuse when he doesn't get what he wants. Something I would rather not subject Ranka and Haruhi to."

"Agreed. So what are you planning?"

"First, we need to deduce his exact location and then I have a few men on standby. The police won't be able to do much, but that doesn't mean a private police force has to follow the same rules."

There was something in Kyoya's smile that gave Mori chills, but he said nothing else since they had arrived at Haruhi's apartment. Opening the door and stepping inside, bedlam greeted them. Ranka had Tamaki in a headlock on the ground yelling at him, Hunny was eating cake and trying to comfort Haruhi and Hikaru while periodically calling over to Tamaki and saying, "I told you Tama-Chan and you didn't believe me", and Hikaru was hunched over his brother blubbering and wailing, acting as if Kaoru were already dead. In the middle of it all, Haruhi looked as if she didn't know if she was supposed to laugh or cry. To the two onlookers, this was a typical day with their friends.

When Kyoya's phone started to ring, he immediately answered it, "I see. Thank you for the information. Keep an eye on him and inform me of his movements. I will call in reinforcements." He pocketed his phone and explained, "It would seem that your stalker has set up camp on the roof across the street and is watching this apartment explicitly. My guess is he is either studying the comings and goings with intent to act later, or he is just acting as a perverted peeping tom. I tend to believe the former rather than the latter given his track record."

"Track record?" Haruhi sweat dropped.

"Don't worry, Haru-Chan! We're here for you!" Hunny declared lifting his fork into the air.

She sweat dropped again, "Uh thanks."

The sound of groaning pulled everyone's attention to the man on the floor. Under his lids, his eyes started to move and his brow lifted as if he were trying to open his eyes.

"Kaoru! Kaoru, wake up! Please wake-up!" Hikaru shouted.

Haruhi wanted to tell him, "He's sick, not dead or deaf," however, she kept her thoughts to herself and instead said, "His fever has come down a lot since he got here and he is doing much better."

"So it would seem," Kyoya commented with a knowing smile.

Something about that smile…her eyes darted to where her father was holding a certain blond hostage and demanded, "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything. I swear, Haruhi. I didn't do anything," Tamaki cried.

Face palming, Haruhi grumbled, "I wasn't talking to you, Tamaki."

Able to maintain the choke hold, Ranka smiled, "What do you mean? Have I told you how cute you look today?"

Haruhi was convinced more than ever her father had indeed done something, and given his tendencies, it could be almost anything. Knowing how her father loved to share with the Shadow King, she asked, "Kyoya, what did my dad send you?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Kyoya inquired with a smirk.

This was the same game they had been playing since high school, and she was used to it. Not one to let her annoyance get the better of her, she stated, "Look, I don't care what goods you got, just tell me how much you know."

Pushing the glasses up the bridge of his nose, he told her, "A kiss and a confession."

"Fine. Whatever. Dad, will you let him go already. He's starting to turn blue and I'm only going to look after one invalid today." She could feel her blush creeping back into her cheeks. "So what are we going to do with that Kenji guy?"

"I have it all taken care of."

"Yeah, I can see how you probably do. So will he live?"

"I am not some murderer. Of course, he will live. Besides, he's not your typical hoodlum."

Hikaru looked up, "What do you mean by that, senpai?"

Crossing his arms over his chest, Kyoya recalled the information he had been able to obtain in a short time, "Assault and petty crimes as a minor, however, as an adult it would seem he still has a short fuse. That being said, he is also the owner of a few real estate properties and convenience stores. He likes to get his way and is not above throwing money around. His net worth has been growing exponentially every year over the past six years and it would seem that he is related to the Morinozuka family on his mother's side."

"EH?!" All eyes turned to Mori, who also looked as shocked as the others.

"Let me iterate that it is a distant relation and Mori does not know him personally. I doubt anyone in Mori's immediate family actually knows him. As I stated, it is a distant relation. And as I am sure you don't know everyone you are related to, the same applies for Mori in this situation; however, Kenji Suzuki is fully aware of his relation with the Morinozuka family and has used it in the past to get what he wants and in business dealings. He probably told them he is part of the Morinozuka family, which is correct in a way, and they assumed it meant he was part of the main branch, who is the head of the family."

Mori's fist tightened up.

"Takashi, calm down. He hasn't done anything too terribly bad yet," Hunny saw his cousin's reaction and knew he was upset.

The fact that Kenji was using the Morinozuka name alone upset Mori, but then to hear that he was also stalking one of Mori's closest friends…it was too much. He wanted to show Kenji a thing or two about the Morinozuka family and it would not be in a dojo with a shinai.

"As we speak, my family's police force are apprehending him and will take him into custody. He will probably try to say he has rights, however, since they work for the Ootori family, there is nothing he will say that will release him."

"What if he tries to use the Morinozuka name?" Hikaru inquired.

"I dare him to try," Mori announced.

Adjusting his glasses again, Kyoya agreed, "That will not matter to my men since they know who the heads of the family are. I have also informed them that if he uses such tactics, they have my permission to gag him." A sadistic smile lit up the Shadow King's face.

Any time they came to her rescue time and time again, Haruhi truly believed these men could be angels sent from above, but there were also moments such as these, when she thought they were actually demons from hell in disguise. Movement from the floor drew her attention and she smiled when she saw Kaoru's eyes open, "Hey. How are you feeling?" Was he really awake or delusional again? Did he remember what happened earlier?

"Water?" His throat was raw and felt like it was on fire. That with the pounding in his head, the aching of his body, and the fact he felt like he was lying in a pool of sweat, made him feel disgusting; and yet, seeing Haruhi above him, made everything better.

She quickly grabbed the cup of water from the coffee table and asked Hikaru to lift him up. Holding the cup to his lips, relief washed over her as he started to drink on his own. Thankfully, she did not have to force feed him water and/or medicine while the others were there watching. They may know about what she did, but that did not mean she wanted to repeat those actions for all to see. "How are you feeling?"

"Gross," his hoarse voice answered.

"If you were feeling sick, why did you go out?" Hikaru demanded to know. He couldn't ever remember a time he had seen his brother so ill.

The younger redhead tried to shrug and couldn't, thus instead he settled for saying, "I wanted to see Har…Haruhi."

"It could have waited!"

"No…couldn't."

"Why?" But Kaoru had fallen back to sleep in his brother's arms. Hikaru gently returned him to the futon and wipe his eyes. Seeing his brother like this was not easy, however, knowing Haruhi had been taking good care of him, helped.

Reaching over her patient and placing her hand on his brother's shoulder, Haruhi told him, "He'll be all right, Hikaru."

"I agree, he will. You've done an excellent job nursing him and I applaud you. For now, I will ask that you continue to do so while we attend to other matters," Kyoya spoke up.

"What does that mean, Kyoya?" She asked.

A large smile appeared on his face, "It would seem your stalker has been apprehended and is currently being escorted to the Black Onion Squad's headquarters. Those of you who want to meet the culprit, in the car now. We're leaving."

Six men - one wearing a stylish green dress - headed for the door. It would seem everyone wanted a piece of this action and no one wanted to be left behind, not even Hikaru. He wanted to stay, but he also knew Kaoru would want to go, and since his younger brother could not get out of bed, he would go on his behalf. Leaving Haruhi to tend to the sick Kaoru, everyone else went to greet the one who would dare threaten their loved one.


	10. Not Worthy

**A/N: I really thought about how I wanted to handle this whole Kenji and how much to show you since it takes away from the main characters of the story, however, after reading the reviews, I think all of you are looking forward to seeing exactly what will happen to him. So, this is for you! But first, a little Haruhi/Kaoru. Enjoy!**

Chapter 10 – Not Worthy

A wet rag swept over his sweat laden skin and Kaoru wanted to follow it. Not only did it feel good, but he instinctively knew that it was Haruhi's hand that brushed over him, only a thin piece of material separating them. In his imagination, the cloth was gone and it was her bare fingers gliding over his skin, her tongue licking down his chest and stomach, and her lips pressing against his. It was easy to imagine, but unfortunately his body reacted to the images he allowed his mind to conjure; and as much as he loved her and wanted her, this was slightly embarrassing. He may be sick physically with a tired mind and body, but there were some things that reacted without much provocation…not that Haruhi wiping him down was a small thing.

Moaning as she moved the cloth across his chest again, he told her, "Good enough."

"What do you mean good enough? You've sweated through your shirt again, so this will help keep you cool. I really would prefer to keep your fever down than to have it rise again. As it is, it's still over 100 degrees." To herself, Haruhi mumbled, "We really need to get it down even further if possible. It's not time for more medicine, but maybe if we…" A hand on hers stopped her mid-thought, "Are you okay, Kaoru? What's wrong?" Instantly, she imagined the worst. Was he in pain? Fever rising? Nauseous? And then memories of what happened earlier matriculated into her mind and she found herself blushing once again, her hand snapping back into her lap. "Do you need me to do anything for you? More water?" Her voice came out kind of shrill and rushed, but she couldn't help it.

He laid there for a moment, eyes closed, before he finally answered, "Just sit here with me."

"Kaoru?" She asked after a small period of neither saying anything, the only sound that could be heard was his raspy breathing, telling her that he was still very sick.

"Hmm?"

"Why? Lunch could have waited. I wouldn't have gotten mad if you would have told me you were sick." What was she hoping for? That the earlier confession wasn't some sort of hallucination of his? Maybe. She only knew she needed to hear it again while he was actually conscious.

Now was no the time to confess, and yet, Kaoru had a feeling downplaying his reasons would be the wrong thing to do…and he wasn't exactly sure why. He recalled a fuzzy image of confessing, but he was sure that was either a dream or a memory of him practicing – like he had done every day for the past year or more. "I just didn't want to cancel."

"Why?" Her brow furrowed as she continued to press him. This was a sick man and she shouldn't be interrogating him, however, she wasn't exactly known for her tact and subtlety.

He was struggling to keep his eyes open. So tired. He just wanted to sleep, but he had to tell her something. Forcing his eyes to focus on her – or at least in her general direction – he slurred, "I love you." With that, his eyes closed again and he drifted off to sleep completely missing the reaction of the girl nursing him back to health.

Gasping, Haruhi's eyes burned with unshed tears. It was exactly what she wanted to hear, and yet, part of her felt like the timing sucked. He was sick and she coerced him into telling her his reason. Yes, she was over the moon and happy, but seeing him fall asleep kind of diminished the moment they shared. Leaning over him, she whispered, "I love you too, Kaoru." After making her own confession, she kissed his brow and returned to her task of wiping him down, a smile on her face and her cheeks stained pink.

 ** _Black Onion Squad Headquarters…_**

"Now that I think about it, I wish we had a camera or something to see what is happening at home," Ranka softly mentioned to Kyoya as they got out of the car. "I mean we did leave them alone, not that the handsome Kaoru is up to do anything to or with my dear sweet baby girl!"

Kyoya pushed up his glasses and smirked, "I am sure all is well and there wouldn't be much to record. Kaoru is sleeping and Haruhi is probably studying for the bar exam when she isn't taking care of him."

"But what if there is another confession?"

"I suppose we must let them have their small moments alone."

The redheaded father studied him for a moment before he smiled, "You have a camera set up. Don't you?"

"Possibly, but first, we must deal with one Kenji Suzuki," he answered cryptically before stating loudly, "Tamaki and Hikaru, neither of you will be permitted access without me, so do behave and wait pateintly. I know that may be a foreign concept to both of you, however, if you do not follow the rules, you may find yourselves locked in your own cell. Do I make myself clear?" His two friends had stormed ahead and had been denied access by the guards decked out in black hugging their weapons.

"EEK!" Hikaru and Tamaki squeaked. The Shadow King had threatened them, and to Hikaru who had not been around him that much since leaving for New York, Kyoya's threats still chilled him to the bone.

"We got it!" The older twin agreed.

"Mommy, you wouldn't…"

Before Tamaki could finish that sentence, Kyoya's grin grew almost evil in nature, "Try me."

The blond screamed, the expression on his face appeared as if he had just seen the most horrific thing known to man, and passed out. Then his soul floated out of his mouth and screamed, only to pass out too. It was something none of the hosts had seen before.

"Hotta, if you will, please pick up the idiot and follow me," the Shadow King ordered.

"Hai, Kyoya-sama," the bodyguard answered and carefully picked up the unconscious man. This wasn't the first time he'd had to carry his master's friend, and he doubted that it would be the last.

Entering the building, Kyoya found an officer waiting for him, "Captain Ono, has he said anything?"

The captain's lips curled slightly in what some might thing a sneer, but Kyoya knew it was one of amusement. "He told us that we were not allowed to arrest him when he did nothing wrong and we have no proof of wrong doing. We also apparently illegal confiscated his surveillance equipment. He stated he has a contract to watch the Fujioka house, but he would not provide us with any private investigator credentials, nor would he give us the name of his employer."

"And the Morinozuka name?"

The lips curled up a little more, "When we arrived and pulled him out of the truck, he claimed that we would regret the way we are treating him since he was part of the Morinozuka family. As you ordered, he has been gagged." His eyes scanned the small group, knowing exactly who each person with his employer was, except when they landed on Ranka, he couldn't quite place the face, "Madam, this isn't exactly a place for a woman, if you would like to wait…" The snickers coming from a few of the hosts stopped him.

"Oh, you are a wonderful man!" Ranka gushed always loving it when people mistook him for a woman.

"This is Ranka Fujioka, Haruhi's father," Kyoya introduced him.

"Haruhi's…" Captain Ono had been informed that her father was a cross dresser, but he hadn't expected this. Ranka looked exactly like a woman in his green dress. Bowing low, he said, "I apologize if I insulted you."

"No insult received," the father smiled; and then a glimmer appeared in his eyes before he hissed (some say a snake came out of his mouth at that moment), "Where can we find the criminal who dare try to force himself on my baby." Kyoya could indeed be scary, but Ranka when upset or worried about his daughter, could be much worse.

Sweat dropping, the captain quickly stated, "Follow me." The last thing he wanted to do was to get between a lion and his prey.

When they arrived at the room, Mori stopped everyone from opening it or barging in, "I want him first." And seeing as how the man had insulted the Morinozuka family name, they didn't argue at all.

Mori waited until everyone was in the observation room and then took a deep breath to calm himself before he entered the room housing the offender. The moment he entered, his eyes fell upon the other man and he wanted to throw him through the wall. Not only had he offended his family, but he was a threat to Haruhi. Not saying anything, he removed Kenji's gag and waited, knowing it wouldn't take long.

Before the other man could sit down, Kenji glared at him and started shouting, "How dare you? This is kidnapping and is against the law! You will pay for this. Do you know who my family is? I will see all of you thrown into prison for this!"

"Who do you think your family is?" Mori prodded, his voice calm and controlled, while inside he was anything but.

"I am part of the Morinozuka family. Do you know who they are? They will make sure you rot in hell for this!" He proclaimed with a puff of his chest.

"No, you're lying."

"How dare you!"

"Do you know who I am?"

"I don't fucking care!"

"You should. I am Takashi Morinozuka, first son of Akira Morinozuka, who is the current head of the Morinozuka family." With each word spoken, Mori noticed Kenji grew pale, his mouth dropped open a little wider, and his eyes grew a little bigger. "My family is honorable, we hold our honor as a shield and we make sure we treat the people around us with respect, the way they should be treated."

"N-N-Now wait a minute! No! You are…"

"I am Takashi Morinozuka and you have dishonored my family name. You have been using it to secure business contracts knowing that others would be afraid to go against the Morinozuka family. My family, who started out as servants, grew in esteem and wealth over the last several decades and we eventually merged with the Haninozuka family, however, that does not give you any rights to the name…distant relation or not. You are not a Morinozuka. The worst of your crimes though, you attacked one of my good friends."

"A-Are you talking about Haruhi? Are you her boyfriend? Look, I don't know what she told you, but she came onto me! She pursued me and asked me to chase after her. She…she said that the chase would excite her!"

"And that is the reason you were camped out on a roof across from her building?" Mori had to control himself, he was on the verge of ripping this guy apart. Clasping his hands together, he gripped them until his knuckles and fingers turned white.

Kenji's felt his heart speeding up and his brow started sweating, "I was…I had her under surveillance because I was told to watch her!"

"Who hired you?"

Narrowing his eyes, he attempted to swallow his fear and said, "I don't have to tell you anything! You are holding me against my will illegally!"

Mori moved as fast as lightning. Flying up out of his seat, the chair flew behind him until it crashed into the wall. His hand snapped across the table and grabbed the other man on the back of the neck and slammed his head down onto the table making it clang against the metal table, "The Black Onion Squad is the private police force belonging to the Ootori family. Since they are a private force, they do not operate within the same parameters of a normal police department, however, if needed, I am sure we can bring in the police and tell them exactly what happened. If you know the Morinozuka name, no doubt you know the Ootori name as well. Haruhi is a friend of both families as well as the Haninozuka, Suoh, and Hitachiin."

"There's no proof I did anything wrong!"

"We can get camera recordings from businesses and street cameras to prove our case. And your stalking tendencies will come into play."

"I'm not a stalker! I was hired!"

"By whom?" Mori was quickly losing his patience and pressed even hard on the neck. He actually didn't believe anyone had hired him, but he needed this filth to admit it.

"OUCH! It hurts!" Kenji started to cry.

"Tell me!"

"Let me go!"

The clatter of the door opening revealed two people. A shorter man with honey blond hair and a man with raven hair and glasses. The latter spoke first, "Kenji Suzuki, you do not own a private investigator license and you were not hired by anyone to spy on Haruhi. That is a lie. However, you have been trying to force the owners of the apartment building Haruhi resides in to sell to you for lower than the land is worth. In addition, you have hired some local thugs to try and strong arm a few of the residents so that people will want to move. The building is in good condition and the land is a prime piece of real estate. You couldn't understand why the owners wouldn't sell." Pushing up his glasses, Kyoya told him, "The landlords no longer own the land. I do."

"NO!" Kenji groaned. "It's not true!"

"Which part?" Hunny snarled, "You tried to hurt one of my friends. You tried to hurt my best friend and cousin. You tried to hurt innocent people so you could make a quick buck. You are not worthy to even utter the Morinozuka name!"

He wasn't sure why, but his terror grew the moment these two other individuals entered the room. Unable to hold it in due his fear, he wet himself.

"Not much of a man, are you?" Hunny growled. Like Mori, he wanted to rip this man apart.

Releasing his hold on him, Mori walked towards Kyoya and Hunny when he saw a flying blond whooshing past him. He spun around just in time to watch his cousin's foot make contact with Kenji's jaw. "Mitsukuni?"

Hunny wiped his hands together and smiled, "He may have had his hands handcuffed, but he was going to try to kick you and I couldn't let him do that. Not after what he did to Haru-Chan." Flowers floated around his head.

The trio stepped out of the room and were greeted by the others, and then Ranka asked, "You own the building?"

Smiling, Kyoya pushed his glasses up and said, "A good investment."

"What now, Kyo-Chan? We aren't letting him go, are we?" Hunny asked, tears in his eyes.

"No, I'm not quite done with him yet," the Shadow King stated, his lenses glinting in the light.

At that moment, a chill was felt throughout all of Japan…and half the world. El Nino? No, it was the wrath of the Shadow King.


	11. Sweet Moments

**A/N: I wish everyone luck on their midterms and finals for those students out there who are combatting those dreaded tests this week or in the coming weeks. I always love reading you reviews and I'm thrilled you loved Mori taking charge, and the whole interrogation scene. Not to worry sally1821, more sweet moments coming up in this chapter. In fact, that is all it is. More on Kenji and the others in the next chapter. Sorry for the short chappy, I think NaNoWriMo is sucking all the words out of my brain. LOL. Enjoy!**

 ** _PS…The poll for the Christmas story is up. If you want to help decide who Haruhi will be paired with in the upcoming Christmas story, submit your votes. For those without an account, you can vote by putting your vote in the reviews (this is only for those without an account). Everyone can select up to 2 choices. Voting will continue through midnight on 12/1/2015. Happy Voting!_**

Chapter 11 – Sweet Moments

Back in high school, before her secret was discovered by the world – actually it was just her fellow students – Haruhi had been wooed by her closest friends…kind of. During the months and years following her unconventional initiation – read that as forced involvement – she was a bit obtuse when it came to what the hosts were actually doing, especially Tamaki. To her, they were just weird damn rich bastards that didn't understand how the real world operated, and when she realized that at least some of them had a crush on her many, many, many moons later, her opinion never changed. They were still oddballs and weird damn rich bastards. She honestly didn't think anything would change her mind on that, and that was okay because it was part of what made them…well them.

She could also remember when she started to realize that she felt something a little different for Kaoru than she did the others, but even back then she brushed it off as feelings of friendship. After all, he was one of her best friends and she tended to seek him out more than his brother or talk to him more because of the pure and simple fact that even though he went along with his brother's crazy plans, he was still the more mature twin. During her second year in high school, she slipped on a banana peel and Kaoru had been the one to catch her thus saving her from falling on her ass…or head. Her eyes had been scrunched closed as tightly as possible and when the pain never came, she opened them and found the hazel eyes of Kaoru staring back at her. It felt comfortable to be held in his arms that day, and her heart may have skipped a beat, something that never happened with anyone else, but she brushed aside that odd feeling as nothing more than gratefulness to her friend for saving her. That's all it had been...at least that's what she thought at the time.

After she realized her true feelings for the younger twin, it was like the rose colored glasses had been removed and everything came into focus. That incident was no longer a friend feeling grateful, her heart skipped a beat because it knew it was meant to love Kaoru. The ever present need to talk to him while he was away, saving stories to tell him first before she passed anything on to someone else…all of this was because Kaoru was her special person, the person she wanted by her side.

Today changed everything for her. Before today, she thought the best she could hope for was to remain at his side as a friend for the rest of her life, to suffer through him getting married to someone else. Yes, she had indeed allowed herself to imagine all of that and more. Even though she planned on confessing to him at some point in time, she never believed he would return her feelings. She hoped, she dreamed, but she never truly believed. Her spoken words didn't match her fears inside because she always tended to sound more confident than she actually felt. Isn't that the way it always tended to happen? You know it's wrong and you should believe and be confident, but you can't seem to quite manage it. This was exactly how Haruhi felt…until today.

Kaoru's first delirious confession, she had still been unsure, but his second gave her the boost she needed, and when he woke up, she would make sure he heard her own confession – since he had passed out before she was able to tell him she felt the same.

Unbeknownst to Haruhi, Kaoru had actually heard what she had to say, he just couldn't react or open his eyes. He was too tired and blah. However, hearing that she returned his feelings gave him a feeling of elation, like was flying well above the clouds in heaven itself. Of course, that could have also been because he was sicker than he had ever been in his life and wasn't exactly completely cognizant, but he would be one day…soon…maybe…possibly hours…hopefully not days…he really needed to feel better asap. Maybe Kyoya had a shot he could give him to make him feel like himself instantly? Kaoru knew the Shadow King was capable of almost anything.

In all honesty, he just wanted to feel better so that he could hold Haruhi in his arms and tell her once again that he loved her, and this time not start to fall asleep while confessing. She was the reason he wanted to hurry home, why he ignored his illness and pushed himself to be with her…because if he could, he would spend every hour of every day with her for the rest of his life. His was not just some crush he would get over one day. Haruhi was his everything. She was the only one he would ever want for the rest of his life and he would prove it to her…or at least tell her.

Without Hikaru knowing, Kaoru had actually bought a ring in New York. He had never intended to buy one, but he saw it and it screamed Haruhi's name. He was pretty sure it was an audible scream too. It was something he had to get, and if she said no, if she didn't want him, if she couldn't feel the same for him as he did her, then he would put the ring in his closet and forget about it with time. Good thing he didn't have to deal with the heartbreak though. He felt amazing and utterly sick at the same time. UGH! When would this pass?

He groaned and turned over on his side, finding another pillow to lay his head upon. This one was a lot harder and wouldn't meld to his head at all, but it was also oddly comfortable and smelled of Haruhi. This is where he wanted to rest.

Haruhi's face started to burn and glow once again. She had started to read one of her law books again when she heard Kaoru moan, but before she could ask him if he was all right, his head landed in her lap and he started cuddling with her legs. It was probably a good thing her father and Tamaki weren't here. She didn't have to worry about the safety of her patient with his unconscious actions.

Running her hands through his hair, she started to hum and stopped as soon as his brow furrowed and he frowned in his sleep. Well apparently her singing had not improved over the years. She continued to use her fingers to comb through his damp locks though and smiled. There was just something so right about having him lay in her lap while she took care of him and studied, and she never wanted it to end.

Her eyes scanned the room and then she bent down, her body uncomfortable in a contortionist pose, and kissed his brow as best she could before straightening again. It is definitely so much easier to do when he is completely on the pallet she had made for him, but she didn't care. For now, she could pretend as if they were the only ones in the world…"Although, I do wonder if the guys are still dealing with that idiot that tried to follow me."

 ** _Black Onion Squad Headquarters…_**

They had left Kenji on his own for the past hour, of course he had been knocked out most of the time due to Hunny's powerful kick, and it was time to have another discussion with him. Kyoya smirked, looking rather delighted to almost everyone around him as he said, "It's my turn to…talk to our…guest."

No one else argued, if anything, they took one giant step backwards away from the Shadow King in order to give him space. They all wanted to know if Kenji was soon going to die.


	12. Checkmate

**A/N: I closed the poll and had to put up another one. Kyoya and Chika were tied for first, and therefore I need your help again. Please vote in the new poll at the top of my author page to determine who will be paired with Haruhi in the Christmas story. Chika or Kyoya. You get to decide with your votes. If you do not have an account, please put your vote in the reviews. The poll will not be taken down until Monday morning so that everyone has a chance to vote. Thank you!**

Chapter 12 – Checkmate

Groaning, Kenji wanted to grab his head in order to ward off the throbbing, but he was unable to do so with his hands cuffed behind his back. His jaw hurt, his head felt like a jackhammer was making use of his skull instead of pounding on concrete, his butt was numb from sitting on a hard chair, and his arms ached from being held in an unnatural position for too long.

How had this happened? How had he managed to find the one girl who had connections to some of the most powerful families in Japan? It wasn't fair! And to top it off, he had lost a piece of prime real estate and the Morinozuka family – if he really was part of the main Morinozuka household – had found out what he had been doing; although, nothing he did was actually illegal…at least nothing there was a record of.

Well, regardless, he was fairly certain they could not keep him there without proof of a crime – real police or not. And he was also certain that when they finally released him, he would make them pay for what they have done. He didn't care who their families were or how much money and power they had. Everyone had a weakness and he had already figured out theirs.

The sound of the door scraping open forced his attention to the man entering the door. It was the very one who said he had purchased the land, the very land Kenji had wanted for himself. With an apartment building already standing and in good condition, he could increase the rent and make even more money for himself. He hated this bespectacled youth. There was an air of aristocracy around him, and he was pretty sure behind those lenses, the other man was looking down upon him. What made him so special? In the real world, this kid was nothing. It was his parents' money and power, and he just rode on their coattails like many other children of privilege, "Oh, decided to come down from your mountain top finally? You can release me now!"

Kyoya chuckled, his smirk turning to a sneer as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, "I don't believe you are in any position to be giving me or anyone else here orders."

"And you have nothing to hold me on."

"I wouldn't say that. While you were…shall we say taking a little nap? While you were taking your nap, I was able to pull video of your meeting with Haruhi at the store and your subsequent stalking. In addition, you were found on a roof peeping into her apartment."

"Who says it was her apartment?"

"Then it was someone else's apartment. Regardless of whose apartment, you were still caught peeping. We have video to prove that as well. In addition, I have proof that you hired thugs to get scare certain residents, you used false information in your business dealings, and I have proof that you strong armed some people who did not wish to do business with a thug."

His snorted and glared, "You've got nothing on me. Everything is circumstantial and any proof that you have in regards to that slut, was obtained illegally."

Kyoya's eyes narrowed into slits and his lenses glinted like a bright star off the florescent light in the interrogation room, "I would be very careful when choosing words to describe Haruhi."

"So, she's banging you and that other guy?" A foot shot out and caught the corner of Kenji's chair pulling it out slightly and making the prisoner's head once again hit the table. Groaning once again in pain, he yelled, "What the hell?!"

"Oh sorry. I seem to have tripped over your chair," the Shadow King smirked. "I will remind you one more time to watch your words in regards to Haruhi or my other friends."

"I'll sue you! I'll sue all of you and make sure your family is ruined!"

"Do you happen to know which family I belong to?" When he received nothing but a dumbfounded expression, he said, "I thought not. For your information, I am Kyoya Ootori, third son of the Ootori family and soon to be heir. The tall man that was in prior was Takashi Morinozuka, heir to the Morinozuka family. The shorter man who defended his cousin when you tried to attack him, was Mitsukuni Haninozuka, the Haninozuka heir." He pointed towards the glass mirror, "Behind that mirror, you will find Ranka, Haruhi's father, Hikaru Hitachiin, the Hitachiin heir, Tamaki Suoh, heir to the Suoh businesses, and my police captain. Everything we do and say is being recorded and will be turned over to the proper authorities."

"Good. Then I can get all of you for wrongful imprisonment, slander, and assault."

"Actually, you cannot. You have no case. The assaults you speak of were provoked and were in defense. We haven't actually imprisoned you yet. As for the slander…let's discuss that now. Do you know of the Kassanoda gumi?"

"The…the yakuza group?"

"Excellent! You do know of them. The heir to the group went to school with all of us, and that includes Haruhi." Kyoya's expression darkened and it seemed as if the room filled with a black fog, "When it comes to underworld dealings, they have their thumb on the pulse. It took absolutely no time to find out what thugs you had been paying off to do your dirty work." Pulling out a folder, he opened it and laid two pictures onto the table in front of his prisoner. "Common street thieves, who would do anything for a quick buck. As for your contracts, there are a couple of things that border on illegal."

"Nothing illegal in those."

Setting a copy of one of the contracts in front of Kenji, Kyoya stated, "I will agree, but it is more of a grey area. In addition, in talking with some of your business partners, they believed they would be given special privileges because you claimed to be part of the Morinozuka family."

"I am! You can check it out for yourself."

"Actually you are, however, you are not part of the main branch of the family and it is only a distant relation. You presented yourself to be something you're not and misled others into believing you could award them something you cannot."

"Not my fault they believed I was something I'm not. I only said I was part of the Morinozuka family."

"No, you stated you were part of the main Morinozuka family knowing it would open certain doors for you that would otherwise be closed."

Kenji hated how calm and cool this man appeared to be, "You still got nothing on me. As for those two guys, you can't prove anything. I don't know them."

"I believe you do. See I can trace money they have right back to you."

"Really? And how is that?"

"You didn't wire anything, so I can't trace the money that way, and you certainly aren't stupid enough to use your personal check; however, did you know that I can trace the serial numbers on printed money?" He watched as the prisoners eyes got large, "Yes. You see, I know for a fact you withdrew a large sum of money from your business account and the serial numbers match those in a bag the criminals had on them. In addition, they are singing like larks right now. You may think my family's private police force are not real police, but they do have a very good relationship with the…what you would term as the real police. As such, if necessary, we can turn you over to them. Based on how your treated Haruhi today, my guess is that you have other skeletons in your closet and I will find them."

"You…you still got no-nothing," he refused to bow down to this young punk.

Leaning over the prisoner, Kyoya smirked, "I may have also hacked into your personal computer and found secret files…or maybe I planted some. Either way, the police are on their way here and to seize anything in your personal residence since you threatened at least three very prominent Japanese families. In addition, I have a few witnesses about to make personal statements to the police against you."

"Y-You can't do anything to me. It's on tape what you just said."

"I do believe I just did. It is called checkmate. As for the tape, I don't care. The tape will show only your guilt. Oh and did I mention that I have already bought controlling interest in your company?" He straightened back up, his smile proud.

What? Could this really have happened? He bought…NO! Everything… Without thinking, he stood up and screamed, "NO!" Running towards Kyoya, he tried to tackle him, but the other man stepped out of his way as if dodging a raging bull, and Kenji ran headfirst into a steel wall. Falling to the ground, he tried to shake away the confusion and pain.

"The only way to hit you where it hurts, money and power. You have nothing now," he sniffed, "And you stink too." Kenji slipped into unconsciousness as Kyoya slipped out of the room. Walking into the observation room, he found several shocked faces gaping at him, "I do believe he will be leaving Haruhi alone from now on. Captain Ono, I have already sent the files and evidence I've obtained to our contact at the police department. Give them the tape of the interrogation as well."

"Kyo-Chan, what about your threat?" Hunny asked.

"What threat? I don't believe the microphone picked up anything, and there might have been a glitch in the tape," he smirked and pulled his hands out of his pockets. In one of his hands appeared to be a small electronic device.

His eyes locking onto the device, Hikaru tilted his head to the side and asked, "Is that what I think it is?"

Tamaki felt confused and out of the loop, "What is it Hikaru?" Afraid of what Kyoya would do to him – and doubly afraid of the police captain that looked super scary – he was trying to remain calm and not do anything that would get him locked up.

"It looks like something that will disrupt all electronic signals within a short radius."

Kyoya smiled, "Possibly."

Once again the Shadow King proved you never wanted to become his enemy.

"Shall we go and check on the patient?" The bespectacled man suggested.

 ** _Fujioka apartment…_**

Kaoru woke up coughing and suddenly felt a glass of cool water pressed against his lips. After taking a few sips, he gazed up into a pair of large brown eyes and smiled, "How long have I been out of it?"

"Off and on all day," Haruhi grinned back. His fever was coming down and he seemed to be more aware and clear headed each time he woke up.

"I knew that, but this time…"

"A couple of hours."

He settled back onto his futon and stared at her. He lifted his hand to brush against her cheeks before she caught it and held it. Just that small contact was enough to make his heart beat accelerate, "So much."

"Huh?" Haruhi asked confused. What was he talking about? Was it possible that he was delusional again?

"I love you so much."

That answer settled her nerves as well as excited her, "I love you too." It felt liberating to finally be able to share her feelings with him.

"Then marry me."

"Eh?" She didn't have a chance to ask what he was talking about because he started to cough violently and couldn't catch his breath. Pounding on his back didn't seem to help, and when he pulled his hand away and had blood in it, all other thoughts left her. It was time to call for an ambulance and she prayed this wasn't too serious. She couldn't lose him when they were finally able to confess their feelings to each other.


	13. Hospital Bed Proposal

**A/N: Poll is still up and Chika is in the lead. As for this story, I got a little griped out by CrazyKitCat for leaving all y'all hanging. LOL. So I promised I would update the story sooner than normal. After this, back to my normal lineup with my other genres. Enjoy!**

Chapter 13 – Hospital Bed Proposal

The ambulance pulled up to the ambulance bay at the hospital and threw its doors opened. Everything was happening so quickly, and the moment she blinked, by the time her eyes opened again, a new scene greeted her. People yelled and passing on vital information to the doctors and nurses about Kaoru, and she felt as if she were going through the motions, following as fast as she could…until she was stopped.

"I'm sorry, but you'll have to go wait for us in the waiting room," a nurse told her, stopping her in her tracks and preventing her from going any further.

"But I'm his…" Haruhi tried to speak, but she was interrupted by a hand in her face.

"I don't care if you're the emperor of Japan, you're not going back there. We need space to work on him and you will just get in the way."

She knew the nurse was right and that she should let it go, but for some reason she couldn't, "Kyoya Ootori is one of our close friends and…"

"Again, I don't care. If you are there, you will only be in the way. If you want us to do our best to heal your friend, go wait out in the waiting room and let us do our job." The nurse could see how out of sorts the young girl appeared to be and sympathized with her, "Look, I know this is hard for you, but we will do what we can to help him. Go out into the waiting room and you can call anyone you need to from there. We'll be out as soon as we can to give you any news. Okay?" When she received a nod from the other girl, she turned her in the direction of the waiting room and gave her a little nudge before running to catch up with the rest of the medical staff.

Walking into the waiting room, Haruhi saw people laying on the chairs, mothers and father comforting their children, one man holding his arm to his chest with an ice pack wrapped around the wrist. All of them were waiting to be seen by the doctors, all of them needed medical care. Kaoru wasn't different or special from any of these people; and yet at the same time, she wanted him to be the priority. This is what happened to most people when their loved ones were sick, she understood that, but seeing her mother get sick and then pass away, her old fears rose to the surface.

No! She would not allow herself to think the worse. She had to pull herself together and call the others – something she had forgotten to do until the nurse mentioned something about calling people. Hopefully, Hikaru and Kyoya wouldn't kill her for not calling sooner. Surely they would understand, right? And even if they didn't, there was no changing it now. Her concern lie with Kaoru and not with her friends, who were doing kami knew what to that stalker.

To steady her nerves, she took a deep breath before hitting memory four. One ring. Two rings. Three rings. Four rings. Just when she thought it would go to voicemail, someone answered, "What can I help you with Haruhi?"

"Uh Kyoya. I…Kaoru…" She needed to calm down. Gathering her wits, she took another deep breath and began again, "Kaoru started coughing up blood so I called the ambulance. We're at the hospital."

"How much blood?" Kyoya's voice remained calm, cool, and collected.

"Just blood. There was red stuff in his hand!" She snapped.

"Haruhi, I understand that you are worried about him and that you don't know anything about medicine, but calm down for a minute and tell me how much blood you saw. Did it fill his hand or was it small splatters? Was it only a trace amount?"

As usual, he was right. She was on the verge of losing it and she needed to keep it together. Running a hand through her hair, she tried to think about what she saw before she started to panic. In the background through the phone, she could hear Tamaki and Hikaru starting to have their own panic attacks and Hikaru demanding to know what was wrong with his brother. She had to block that out or it would be detrimental to her mental state. "I think it was only a little. Like spots of blood in his hand." Why had she thought it had been so much more when she first saw it?

"Okay. That's good. Are they with him now?"

"Yes."

"We are on our way. If we have not arrived before the doctor comes out, tell him or her to call me on my cell phone. I have a feeling what happened was that he broke a couple of blood vessels from coughing so much and that is all it was. It can happen when you cough long and hard."

"But he wasn't coughing a lot today. I mean he would have coughing fits, but that's about it."

"It could still be the same cause, however, until he is examined we won't know for sure. Was it bright red or dark?"

"Bright – I think."

"Good."

"Kyoya, will they talk to me if I'm not actually family?"

"They will. I'll make sure they communicate with you. Kaoru's parents are in Paris at the moment, so the only family he has in the vicinity is Hikaru. Just stay calm and try not to do anything that will force me to create a new debt for you."

"You would say that," she deadpanned, but also felt relieved. "Okay. I'll see here when you get here."

"We will be there shortly," Kyoya stated with a smirk and hung up the phone.

Haruhi tried to sit still and wait, but that was easier said than done. She would sit and then get up to pace after only a couple of minutes. Then she would sit again, only to get up again. The cycle was never ending. She even tried to distract herself by going to the vending machine and getting something to eat and drink, however, as soon as she got the snack, she no longer wanted it. A moment ago she felt hungry, and looking at the pretzels and juice, she couldn't seem to bring herself to open either one of them.

Again she was pacing. Each time she passed by the doors that would lead to the back where Kaoru was, she would stop and stare at them, hoping that by some miracle it would will someone out there or maybe she would have acquired x-ray vision. Neither one happened. How many times had she passed by the door? Enough for one of the kids in the waiting room to say, "Mommy, is she here cus she hurt her bottom and can't sit down?" The mother's response corrected that wrong misconception, "No, I think she's here because someone she knows is sick."

Haruhi knew she was probably driving most people crazy, but she couldn't help it. Each time the doors opened, she would stop where she was, wait for a second, and then start to run towards the nurse only to stop again when a name she didn't recognize was called. And her sitting, standing, pacing, sitting cycle started anew.

"Haruhi! Where is he? Have you heard anything yet?" Hikaru grabbed her and started to yell in her face demanding answers.

"Stop treating my daughter like that!" Tamaki pulled her from the redhead's arms and started his own demands as he pulled her close and held her tightly in his arms making it difficult to breathe, "What have you heard? Is he all right? Has the doctor said anything?"

She was rescued when Mori pulled her free from her captors and set her behind him, however, while it might have protected her from those two, it did not protect her from her own father who glomped her – thankfully not as tightly as Tamaki, "Are you all right, dear?"

Pushing her father away, she told them, "I'm fine dad. As for Kaoru, no one has come out yet."

Kyoya adjusted his glasses and stated, "I see. I shall return momentarily."

"Kyoya, I don't think you can just go back there," she tried to stop her friend from overstepping his bounds. Granted she had tried to use his name earlier because surly all hospitals and their staff would at least know the Ootori name and the power it held…all the good it did her.

"Don't worry, Haru-Chan. This is one of his family hospitals, so he'll be fine. How are you?" Hunny answered for their friend.

"What? I didn't think it was."

"It is. Even if their name isn't on it, doesn't mean they aren't in charge of the management of it. He'll get answers."

"Okay," she nodded, her eyes staring once again at the doors when she felt a hand land on her head. Looking behind her she found Mori standing there.

"If Kyoya was worried, he wouldn't have allowed Kaoru to stay under your care throughout the day," the tall man said with a small smile on his face.

Nodding, Hunny exclaimed, "He's right, Haru-Chan!"

In theory, she knew they were right, but it was harder to feel reassured until she knew exactly what was going on with Kaoru.

Thirty minutes passed, and nothing. It was another fifteen minutes before Kyoya came back out and gave everyone the verdict, "Kaoru has pneumonia. As I suspected, the blood was from his throat and is nothing serious. I didn't feel it was as serious as it is because according to what I was told, he only started feeling sick this morning; however, Kaoru has informed the medical staff here that he felt like he was getting a cold before he left New York, but because he was excited to be coming home, he did nothing to treat it and did what he could to hide his symptoms." Of course, he also wanted certain seeds to be sown, bonds to be forged, and confessions to be made.

"So he really shouldn't have been out in the rain the day I ran into him on the way to my bar exam," Haruhi muttered.

"No, he shouldn't have. He will be admitted and will be put on antibiotics immediately. It took so long to get answers because we had to wait for some of the labs to come back and the x-ray machine was in use. Now that he is being treated properly, he should start to feel better in a couple of days."

Hikaru stepped forward, "Can we see him?"

"After he goes up to a room. The ER is quite busy today, so they are not allowing many visitors back there. However…" Kyoya turned to Haruhi, "He is asking for you."

"Uh, shouldn't Hikaru see him first?" As much as she wanted to run to his side, she also didn't want to offend his brother.

Giving his friend a small smile, Hikaru said, "Tell him we're all here and will see him soon." He pushed her towards the doors Kyoya had only emerged from minutes ago.

"If you will follow me, I will take you to him," Kyoya told her.

Entering the room, she found Kaoru lying in the bed with an oxygen mask on his face. He looked paler than she remembered and his lips looked almost white. All in all, he looked like crap, but at the same time, in her eyes, he looked great because he was going to be okay. "Kaoru…"

"Sorry about that. I didn't mean to scare you," he waved her forward since for some reason she remained near the door instead of moving to the side of the bed where a chair sat empty.

"It's okay. I was just really worried about you. How do you feel?"

"Better now that you're here. Not exactly the best of days to confess. First, I show up sick, and now, I'm being admitted to the hospital."

She snickered, "At least it'll be memorable."

"True." He paused and watched her settle herself into the chair. Reaching out to take her left hand, he spoke softly, "You know, I was serious when I said you should marry me."

"Wh-What?"

"I figured this day is already full of surprises and what have you, so marry me," he locked eyes with hers, waiting for her answer, hoping it would be the one he wanted to hear.

"I…I…"

"Haruhi…" anything else he wanted to say had to wait because he started to cough again. His chest hurt and his body ached, and he wished he felt better, especially since he was waiting for a very important answer.

She immediately stood up and started to hit his back as he sounded as if he was coughing up a lung. She was still worried and that drove all thoughts of an answer out of her mind, but only temporarily.

Done with his coughing fit, he lay back down and felt extremely tired. He wanted to close his eyes and sleep again, but he wanted his answer first. "Haruhi, will you?"

He was fighting his sleep and knowing it did it for her made her smile. Leaning over him, she kissed his forehead and as he was closing his eyes, she whispered, "Yes, I will marry you."

"Good," he wanted to do and say more, and he wasn't exactly sure if he was dreaming or not, but sleep claimed him yet again. She had said yes. Never before had he felt more elated as he did right at that moment, if only he could show it.


	14. Relationship Status

**A/N: I'm back. Sorry about that. I took some time off for the holidays with the exception being the Christmas story. Then needed to catch up on a story I hadn't worked on since early November. Yikes. Hopefully things have settled down and I can get back to my normal updating schedule. Enjoy the new chapter!**

Chapter 14 – Relationship Status

Leaning over her new fiancé, Haruhi kissed Kaoru's forehead and brushed his bangs back, reveling in her new found status. This was the only man she could ever see forever with as more than a friend, and this was the only man she had ever been in love with. Sure she had loved, had her crushes, but her feelings for Kaoru were always there, strong, and sure.

"Well, this is an interesting turn of events," Kyoya stated from the doorway to the small emergency room where Kaoru lay, a smile on his lips as his eyes settled upon the couple in front of him. While he had hoped they would confess and come to some sort of agreement about their relationship, even this surpassed anything he could have imagined happening this quickly – especially when one of them was seriously ill.

"Kyoya!" Haruhi jumped. For some reason she thought he had returned to the others after showing her where Kaoru's room was located. It was more than apparent to her that he had heard their entire exchange, or at least enough of it to know the two of them were newly engaged.

The Shadow King pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and said, "We leave you alone to deal with a problem and return to find that you have confessed and he has proposed. My, my. It boggles the mind that it took as long as it did since he has been home less than a day, is sick, and only admitted his feelings to you today." The small smile and glint of amusement tapered the sarcasm flowing from his mouth.

"Kyoya, it's not like…"

He raised his hand to stop her, "I know. Did you forget who I am? I have known about your mutual feelings for a while now and I was beginning to wonder how long it would take before something happened."

Her eyes darted to her fiancé and she spoke softly, "I wasn't sure if he was going to come back to Japan and with Hikaru…"

"Hikaru has known of his brother's feelings and only wishes you happiness. As for not returning, why ever would you think that?"

"Huh?"

He tsked her, "Very unladylike."

"No, I mean…he had talked about staying in New York at one point."

"I believe that was when he had first arrived and before certain other admissions."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's just say, he had to make his own decisions about what would stop him from something he wanted."

"You act as if you know everything."

"Naturally."

She sweat dropped as she gaped at her bespectacled friend, "Um, yeah." Of course, this was Kyoya Ootori, no matter the secret, he always seemed to find out anything and everything. Nothing was safe from him…not if he truly wanted to know.

He briefly glimpsed at the unconscious Kaoru before returning his strong gaze to Haruhi, "I don't think he would have been able to stay away. Now, transport is on their way and we need to allow them space and time to get Kaoru up to his room and situated. You can see him again shortly."

She stood up and bent down to whisper in the patient's ear, "I love you." After a kiss to his cheek, she followed her friend out of the room. Before they left the craziness of the ER, she stopped him and asked, "Can you not say anything to everyone?"

"Why?"

"I just think it would be better if Kaoru and I could tell everyone together. I…I don't know how he wants to handle this or anything. It all just happened."

"I see no issue with this request."

She deadpanned, her words muttered under her breath as he left her standing there and exited the ER, "Request? It's my engagement."

As soon as she joined Kyoya and the others, her friends pounced. Tamaki hugged her and shook her demanding to know how his son faired. Her father wanted to know how she was doing and if she thought she might be coming down with something. Hunny appeared on the verge of tears as he asked if Kaoru was going to be all right. And Hikaru…he seemed a little standoffish and removed from the group. His twin, his best friend, and the person he had spent every second of his life since conception with was sick in the hospital and not only could he do nothing, he had been unable to see him yet. Even Haruhi could see how hard this was for him.

He had to be her priority. Walking up to him, she put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed, using that little bit of pressure to grab his attention, "I know this will sound pathetic, but he is doing all right and we'll be able to see him in his room soon."

Hikaru could only offer his friend a half smile and nodded, "I know." His eyes found hers for only a moment before he turned and stared out the window he had been looking through when she approached, "How is he really doing? Maybe if I would have stopped him…" His voice trailed off.

"I don't think you could have. He knew he was sick and still refused to stay home. You can't be responsible for his idiocy."

Without turning, he snorted in mirth, "That's true. Did you knock some sense into him like you tried to do countless times to us during our Ouran days?"

"I make it my policy not to hit sick people," she counted, a hint of laughter in her voice.

Hikaru turned and stared at her for a moment a smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he said, "Just sick in the head?" His eyes travelled to Tamaki who stood with the others watching the exchange with rapt attention. It almost appeared as if Mori and Kyoya were silently forcing Tamaki, Ranka, and Hunny to stand back so that Haruhi could speak to him. Almost because Kyoya was doing nothing but writing in his small black book on one side of the aisle and Mori stood on the other side with his hand on Hunny's shoulder; and yet, no one was moving from the spot, as if they knew if they moved one inch, they would end up in a dungeon somewhere.

Haruhi's gaze followed that of Hikaru's and she snickered, "Maybe."

"Mommy, can we go over there now?" Tamaki's attempt at a whisper resulted in the entire waiting room hearing him.

"Tamaki, do remember where you are and what the situation is," Kyoya sighed knowing that even with this reminder, it would only take his best friend a couple of minutes before he would forget again.

"This is why you will never be good enough for my little girl," Ranka rolled his eyes and shook his head. In all the years he had known Tamaki and the hosts, the blond had yet to grow on him.

"B-B-But…" Tears started to fill the former president's eyes as his head whipped back and forth between Ranka and Kyoya, silently pleading with his best friend to defend him. "I love Haruhi! I just want what's best for her and…"

A malicious and maniacal grin appeared on Hikaru's face, one reminiscent of high school, "So boss, does that mean you're going to try and steal her away from my brother?"

"Tama-Chan, you wouldn't do that, would you?" Hunny turned sad eyes upon his younger friend. He looked at his cousin, "Takashi, Tama-Chan wouldn't try to come between Haru-Chan and Kao-Chan, would he?"

"Mitsukuni…" Mori wasn't sure how to respond exactly. In the shorter man's eyes, he could see that he wasn't being serious, and yet, he wasn't exactly sure what his cousin's plan was.

"I wouldn't do anything to break them up!" Tamaki whined.

Whipping around, Hunny's facial expression grew a little darker, "Good. Just remember that."

A shiver of fear paralyzed the taller blond momentarily. Why did everyone think he would try to separate the new couple or why he would attempt something to sabotage them? And then he heard…

"You're so easy, boss!" Hikaru guffawed.

"Huh?" Tamaki stood there confused.

"And now I know where she gets it," Kyoya shook his head disappointedly.

"What?"

Giggling, flowers appeared around Hunny and he said, "We know you wouldn't." Again his expression turned serious, "But if you did, we would make sure you were dealt with severely." Once again smiles and flowers, he said, "I'm so happy Haru-Chan and Kao-Chan are together!"

"Together? Wait…how did you guys know that we're together? Just because there was a fever induced confession and…uh…stuff, does not mean we are together," Haruhi argued.

"Are you denying it, Haruhi?" Kyoya gave her a knowing grin.

"No! That isn't the point!"

"Then what would be the point?"

She could feel all eyes on her, demanding to know exactly what the relationship status between she and Kaoru. "We're together, it's just that everyone here was just assuming we were."

"Your stalker also made mention that you told him you had a boyfriend," Kyoya told her thoroughly enjoying her uncomfortable state.

"He did? Well, I told him that so he would leave me alone!" She stopped and then narrowed her eyes, "What happened with him? Is he still breathing?"

"He is indeed. Although, he won't be conducting any more business using the Morinozuka name. In fact, he won't be conducting any more business in Japan ever again."

The evil glint in Kyoya's glass cover eyes gave her the chills and she took an involuntary step backwards, right onto Hikaru's foot. At his yelp of pain, she spun around, "Sorry!"

As Haruhi was apologizing to her friend, a nurse walked up to Kyoya and told him, "Ootori-sama, the patient is being transported now and will be in room 1214 shortly. Once he is settled, you will be able to visit him." Haruhi recognized her as the same nurse who had refused to let her in the back earlier.

"Excellent. Thank you." To his friends, he said, "Shall we start making our way upstairs?" Kyoya knew everyone would rather hurry up to the floor instead of lingering even if they would not be allowed in the room for several more minutes.

Time seemed to slow down after they got off of the elevator and made their way to Kaoru's room. The nurses were hooking his IV up and getting his vitals before they would allow his friends in. Haruhi just stood there leaning against the wall, exhaustion settling in. It felt as if an eternity had passed since Kaoru had shown up at her door sick and demanding to see her, her father dragging him inside. So much had happened since then: a confession, a kiss, another confession, and two marriage proposals. If nothing else, she would definitely remember this day vividly…and she hoped to never repeat it again. The fear that gripped her when she saw the blood, the uncertainty over his condition, and the helplessness at not being able to snap her fingers and make him better. She didn't want to ever experience this again. Yes, some parts of the day were filled with hope, love, and happiness, but it was the other parts she could do without.

"Haruhi, they said we can go in," Ranka gently told his daughter. He could see the exhaustion and relief catching up with her due to her adventurous day.

"Huh?" Her glassy eyes looked upwards at her father and she tried to process everything he was saying. It took a couple of seconds before it registered, "Oh, ok." She took on step and slumped to the floor.

"Haruhi!" Ranka's exclamation rang through the hall capturing the attention of the other hosts.

Tamaki rushed to her side, "Haruhi, what's wrong?!" His eyes searched for his bespectacled friend and when he found him, he asked, "Mommy! What's wrong with her?"

"Get away from her. She doesn't need you breathing down her neck," Ranka ordered.

"My guess would be that she is suffering from exhaustion and relief. Give her some space," Kyoya told him before squatting down beside her. He felt her pulse and while it was slightly erratic and faster than normal, it wasn't completely out of the ordinary considering everything she experienced today. "Any problems or issues?"

"No. I'm fine. Really. Just a little tired," Haruhi answered shirking away as Kyoya shined a light in her eyes.

"She'll be fine. Mori, could you please carry her into the room. She needs to sit down and rest."

"Shouldn't she be given her own room and bed?" Tamaki asked quietly.

"She's not sick. She is exhausted and needs rest, and while I will admit that it would probably be better for her to return home, staying beside Kaoru will probably reassure and relax her more than going home for the time being."

"But…"

"Tamaki, I'm fine!" Haruhi declared and with Mori ready to catch her at any moment, wobbled into her fiancé's room and took a seat next to his bed without help.

"Mommy…"

Kyoya pushed his glasses up, "Enough…daddy."

"Yes, mommy."

An hour later, Haruhi had fallen asleep using Kaoru's bed as a pillow, her hand holding his, and Kaoru woke up. His eyes scanned the room and found several pairs of eyes looking at him. It wasn't until Kyoya told him that Haruhi was next to him that he looked towards her chair and smiled, "I guess I need to give you your ring."

"EH?" Several voices yelled unaware of the real relationship status between the two.

His eyes searched for Ranka and found him gaping. "May I have her hand in marriage? Sorry I already asked her," Kaoru mumbled groggily.

"Yes, but..." With his approval given, Ranka noticed a smile had formed on the younger man's face and he had promptly fallen back to sleep.

"Does this mean that Haru-Chan and Kao-Chan are engaged?" Hunny questioned.

"It appears so," Kyoya smirked.

Hikaru narrowed his eyes, "You already knew about this."

"I walked in on the proposal earlier," he answered. "The question is will either of them remember that they are indeed engaged once they wake up. Haruhi probably will, but Kaoru..."

Grinning, Hikaru nodded, "He will. It's something he's wanted for a while. He'll remember he asked, but I can't promise he will remember all of the other things that have happened."


	15. Life is Perfect?

**A/N: Ok, let's start this year over or jump ahead to next year. LOL. There are some things that have happened (even after the concussion) that have kept me from writing. Murphy's Law at work! I promise I have not abandoned anything and I think I finally have everything straight now. No promises though. Every time I think that, something else happens. I am going to try really hard though. So starting today, I should be updating regularly again. I hope. Enjoy the new chapter and I apologize that it took so long to get this to you! I promise more will happen from here on out, but I needed this chapter to lead the way into others.**

Chapter 15 – Life is Perfect?

Gentle caresses as soft as butterfly wings could be felt on her head and in her hair, and to Haruhi, someone was trying to mess with her and force her to wake up. Swatting it away and trying to retain her elusive grasp on sleep, she huffed, "Stop it dad!" And her grumblings were met with the quiet laughter of people surrounding her. Who was that? A frown marred her forehead and she scrunched her nose before slowly lifting her lids in order to reveal her chocolate brown eyes once again to the world. For that brief moment of time between sleep and awake, she had forgotten where she was, but all too soon everything came rushing back to her. Her head popped up and began searching for one person in particular, finding him almost immediately: Kaoru. His hazel eyes stared back at her and to her, nothing had ever looked more beautiful. "Kaoru."

Her words were nothing more than a whispered breath on the wind which could be barely heard above the ruckus of the monitors and various machines in the room, but to the man lying in the bed, it sounded as if the heavens had opened up and a choir of angels began to sing. So many details and memories of the day were nothing more than a black spot – completely blank, but he could still vaguely recall proposing to her and her acceptance. Everything else was hazy at best. He barely even remembered leaving his apartment for Haruhi's, so he wasn't sure when or how he got to the hospital. But that was all right. He remember the most important thing, and the rest, a few memories that seemed more like hallucinations or dreams: a kiss, a touch, a few softly spoken words, her arms wrapping around him. Hallucinations, dream, or reality? Did it matter?

He smoothed his fingers over her face as if he were trying to memorize it, studying every line, dip, hill, and freckle...all of the nuances of the vision before him. The color of her cheeks, lips, and eyes. But it was when he got to her eyes and really looked at her, he frowned. Dark circles and puffiness marred the beauty. Not that she wasn't still beautiful, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, however, her circles and such were worse than anything he had ever seen on her…and that included when she was studying law at Todai. "Haruhi?"

"Hmm?" Was drool running down her chin? Did she have a funny imprint on her face? Had Hikaru drawn on her with marker like he and Kaoru had done to Tamaki more than once during their high school days? Why the sudden change? And then she wondered if he was hurting or in need of a doctor, but before she could call out to Kyoya, her thoughts were interrupted by the very man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

"You need to get more sleep."

This announcement caused a myriad of snickers from the others in the room, for none of the hosts had left over the course of the night. They were all waiting for their friend to wake up and feel better.

And then a shrill voice screeched, "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! My daughter has lost some of her beauty because of your carelessness!"

"Tamaki…we discussed this!" Kyoya snapped, never raising his voice, remaining calm in the face of idiocy.

"EEK! Yes, mommy!"

"Are you trying to say my daughter is ugly now?" Ranka demanded, an edge of steel to his tone that could cut down anything and everything in his path.

"NO! I don't mean that at all. Haruhi is very pretty even with the dark circles and swollen eyes! It's not her fault that her eyes resemble a tanuki…" Tamaki was trying to save his skin by backtracking, however, he had been cursed by a horrible disease called foot in mouth disease.

"So now you're calling her a raccoon dog?"

"NO! I mean…I mean…Hikaru and Kaoru used to call her that all the time in high school!"

"That was high school. This is now. Are you saying…?"

"NO!" Tamaki interrupted the father. "I would never think she looks like a Tanuki! She is beautiful, like a princess and should be looked upon as the most beautiful maiden in the world!" As his rant spilled from his lips, he backed up and soon found himself hiding behind Kyoya and Mori. Mori was tall and basically a human wall and Ranka loved Kyoya, so surely being behind him would offer the blond a little bit of protection…hopefully.

His prayers went unanswered. Both men stepped to the side and allowed the redheaded father access to his past, present, and future victim. Grabbing Tamaki's hair, Ranka pushed Tamaki into the wall creating a body print. More would have probably been done, but someone actually stopped the insanity, if only temporarily.

"Stop it dad. This is a hospital. TPO," Haruhi spoke loud enough to be heard over the craziness that normally ensued when the hosts were together. She had learned long ago how to deal with a situation such as this because it had happened too many times to count in the years she had known the hosts.

Tilting his head to the side as much as he could with a hand around his neck, Tamaki struggled to breathe and gurgled, "TPO?"

"She means: time, place, and occasion. Don't you know anything, boss?" Hikaru chortled.

Ranka immediately released his prisoner and smoothed out his dress, "You are absolutely right! My little girl is so smart!" He leaped to her side, ripped her out of her chair, and swung her around – almost hitting a couple people as he did so.

Mori easily grabbed his friend out of her father's grip and returned her to her seat. "TPO," his deep voice resonated throughout the room. It had been so quiet you could have heard a pin drop if it wasn't for those machines. No one was breathing, no one was blinking, and no one was saying a word. Sure Mori had rescued her plenty of times from the twins or Tamaki, but this was Ranka. Never before had he stolen her away from Ranka.

The father's response… Ranka's stunned expression turned into a smile as he clasped his hands together under his cheek and gushed, "My, my my! You are so strong and handsome! I can't be mad at you! Well, if she didn't pick my good Kyoya or you, I'm glad she picked Kaoru. Anyone but that blond idiot..." And he kept going on and on and on.

Everyone in the room sweat dropped except Kyoya. Yes, even stoic Mori found himself reacting. Soon though, they all tuned him out because it was more than apparent that he wouldn't be quieting down any time soon.

Turning back to her fiancé, Haruhi brought a hand up to his face to feel his forehead and cheeks. He was still running a fever, but even without a thermometer she could tell that it was finally coming down. "How do you feel?"

"Like my mouth is full of silk and kind of bleh," he answered honestly before a coughing fit wracked his body making it spasm.

In a near panic, she jumped up in order to make sure he was all right and slipped his oxygen mask over his head again, unsure of when someone had taken it off. She tried to stay out of Kyoya's way as he examined the patient, and when Kaoru's coughing fit subsided, she deadpanned, "Silk?"

"Isn't that normal?" Hikaru asked in all seriousness, the others nodding with him in agreement.

Sighing, she mumbled under her breath, "Damn rich bastards." Aloud she said, "No, it isn't normal. Most people would probably say cotton, like their mouth is filled with sand, or something like that."

"Cotton? MMMMMM," Hikaru would have said more, but Tamaki cover his mouth with a hand.

A smile on his face, the blond hissed in his ear, "Shut up! Don't forget she is still a commoner and doesn't know about this stuff! Don't insult her!"

"I can still hear you!" She grumbled under her breath again.

The only person to hear her was her fiancé, "Don't let it bother you."

Shaking her head, she told him, "Oh, I don't. It's been like this from day one, and I can still remember the time when all of you decided to visit my apartment for the first time."

Kaoru coughed again, and with the oxygen mask on, his voice sounded more like Darth Vader and less like himself, "I remember. Tono got us all in trouble."

"No, he wasn't the only one. All of you were responsible…and the fact that I found out my dad had been spying on me through Kyoya..."

"How else would I obtain your pictures and personal information?" Kyoya smirked as he continued to stand on the other side of Kaoru's bed.

"How's he doing Kyo-Chan?" Hunny quietly asked. He had never seen any of his friends this sick, and to see one of the twins like this, it was a little disturbing. Out of all of the hosts, they were probably the most tenacious and mischievous. And now watching Kaoru, seeing the younger man as sick as he was, it felt wrong and slightly disturbing.

"He's doing well. The doctors have him on the correct medicine and are constantly monitoring him. I assure you, they will give him the best care possible."

Maybe it was the way the light that was streaming through the windows glinted off of his glasses or maybe it was something else, but in that moment Hunny, Mori, Haruhi, and Kaoru feared for the people that worked in the hospital. If they made one mistake, they could just picture him once again donning his costume as the Queen of Hearts and screaming, "OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!"

"So the bleeding's stopped?" Haruhi's question sounded hesitant and full of fear.

Kyoya could only imagine how his friend felt seeing her beloved coughing up blood, and it probably looked a lot worse to her than it actually had been, but he hadn't been there and he would not belittle her emotions – at least not today. "Due to the violent coughing, small blood vessels in his throat burst and that was the blood that you saw him coughing up."

"But…it's stopped?"

"It has, however, I cannot promise that it will not happen again. As you can see, he is still sick and still coughing, which he will need to do in order to get rid of the fluid on his lungs. It is possible that they will burst again and he will cough up more blood. As long as that is what it is, the blood is not of great concern."

"And if it is more than that?"

"Then we need to worry." He also wasn't going to lie to her. "I believe we got him here and on the correct medicine in time."

"I should have called an ambulance as soon as he arrived."

"I did not realize he had been sick as long as he had. According to Hikaru, Kaoru had started to feel under the weather before they flew back from New York."

"And then he walked me to the exam and waited for me on a day it was raining."

Kaoru grabbed her hand and squeezed, "This isn't your fault. I did this to myself."

Pushing up his glasses, Kyoya nodded in agreement, "Yes, you did. Please refrain from causing worry in the future. I cannot guaranty a positive outcome for your health the next time."

Kaoru had a feeling that the Shadow King meant more than just with the hospital. If he made it out alive next time, it didn't mean he would continue to live because Kyoya might "erase" him from existence. He honestly wouldn't put it past someone with the nickname Shadow King. With a blue aura of dread surrounding him, Kaoru obediently agreed, "Yes, I understand."

"Excellent! Now you need to rest and we need to go home and freshen up ourselves. We have been here all night. Haruhi, will you be staying or returning home?"

"I'm going to stay," she announced.

"We will arrange for clothes to be delivered and I will instruct the staff to bring you some towels so you can shower."

"Thank you, Kyoya."

"Not at all. Please take care of our patient here and if you need anything at all, the staff here will make sure it is taken care of."

"But mommy, if our daughter can stay…" Tamaki shut up quickly when he noticed the glare both Ranka and Kyoya were shooting in his direction. "Never mind."

Running up to the blond, Hunny grabbed his hand and started to yank him out of the room, "Come on Tama-Chan. The sooner we get cleaned up, the sooner we can come back!" The others followed him without arguing.

Once everyone had left, Haruhi slumped forward in her chair and closed her eyes.

Kaoru stared at her for a couple of minutes before he said, "I just wanted to get back to you. I didn't mean to make you worry."

"I know. Just…"

"I promise I won't do it again," he interrupted her and tugged on her hand.

"What?"

"Come here." Patting the empty space beside him, he tried to convince her to climb into bed with him; and he grinned when she didn't argue…too much.

"I'm only doing this because that chair isn't comfortable."

"Got it."

Curing up onto her side, she rested her head over his heart and closed her eyes. It wasn't much later that she fell asleep once again.

Kaoru wrapped his arm around her waist and his other hand held the one that lay on his chest near her face. This may not have been the ideal setting, they may not have had the most romantic proposal in the world, but with her in his arms right now, life was perfect. Closing his own eyes, he joined her in dreamland dreaming of her reaction to his ring and what it would be like to finally watch her walk down the aisle, not to anyone else, but to him and him alone.

 ** _AN2: Kyoya is dressed as the Queen of Hearts at the very end of the Haruhi in Wonderland episode, which you can see for only a brief moment right after she wakes up from her dream. It is one of the two times he dons a dress in the Ouran anime. Now my question is, how does Tamaki convince him to put on a dress more than once?_**


	16. Will You

**A/N: I don't know what happened with the last chapter, but when I went to read it so I could remember where I left off, it was kind of all over the place – especially the first part. So I revised it. We are getting close to the end of this story. Fair warning the last chapter will have some M in it. I will put a warning in the AN and warn you before that part in the chapter in case you don't want to read it. Enjoy the new chapter!**

Chapter 16 – Will You

Life was sweet for Haruhi. Or as sweet as it could be considering who her friends were. Not that she didn't love them, because she did. A lot. However, when they – mainly a certain blond – acted a bit over the top with their "good intentions" and schemes, it sometimes left her a bit frazzled. Like today.

Now, one would think with their friend/brother (son?) in the hospital, Tamaki and Hikaru would act like normal civilized adults. Adults being the key word here. However, that was apparently too much to ask. Unable to curb their…playful tendencies after they received word that Kaoru would be all right, Hikaru teased Tamaki, Tamaki tried to fight back and lost, and then the blond went crying to mommy to tell on his son who was teasing him. All of this made Hikaru laugh and tease him more…and then Kaoru decided while he was awake, he may as well get some digs in too. Hunny offered everyone cake, which somehow wound up in Tamaki's face, Haruhi's hair, and on Usa-Chan (Hunny brought the stuffed bunny to make Kaoru feel better). This set off a chain reaction that probably only Kyoya and Mori saw coming, but one everyone should have anticipated given how the former loli shota host reacted when the twins spilled tea on the beloved stuffed companion in high school.

Bypassing the purple aura (the one that came before the black, but at least it wasn't the explosive red), a black aura started to surround Hunny. He gently picked up his beloved bunny and wiped off the cake before slowly turning to Hikaru and Tamaki with a deadly glint in his eye, "You did this! You got cake on Usa-Chan!"

Tamaki and Hikaru clutched each other, mashing handfuls of cake into each other's backs. "N-N-Now Hunny. W-We d-d-didn't mean it!" the blond stammered. His life was flashing before his eyes due to the threat before him. If Hunny wanted to, the shorter man could kill him and everyone in the room without exerting much effort.

"It was the boss!" Hikaru shouted fearful for his life.

"NO! I didn't do it!" Tamaki screamed pushing Hikaru away and instead running to Kyoya and jumping in his arms.

The Shadow King held no remorse for his best friend and dropped him like a sack of potatoes as he said, "I instructed both of you to behave. You chose to act like little children instead of the gentlemen you are, and therefore, you must face the consequences. I suppose it's a good thing that we're in a hospital considering the situation." Pushing up his glasses, he smirked and watched as his best friend fainted, his soul floating out of his mouth.

Hikaru believed that Mori might be the better shield and ran behind the taller man. Since Mori and Hunny were best friends and cousins, surely Hunny wouldn't do anything to Mori. He should have known better. The former wild host suddenly spun around forcing Hikaru to lose his grip, and then the taller man leaped to the side and moved behind Hunny, leaving the redhead utterly exposed.

At this point, Tamaki regained consciousness and his soul and together with Hikaru, scrambled to the hospital bed and tried to hide on the other side of it, begging Haruhi and Kaoru to protect them. Kaoru was trying to keep from laughing and chortled, "It was nice having you as a big brother, Hikaru. I will forever miss you and our adventures. You were my first love."

"Knock it off with the twincest, will you?" Haruhi rolled her eyes, her head shaking back and forth. Then she turned to the soon to be victims and asked, "Have you ever heard of the expression, you made your bed and now you have to lie in it?"

"But we don't make our beds, the maids do," Hikaru answered.

"He's right. I know you're a commoner, but you should know at least that much," chastised Tamaki.

She could feel her irritation growing and growled through clenched teeth, "It's an expression!"

"But it doesn't make sense because we don't make our beds! Haruhi, I know this is hard for you…"

"Shut up, Tamaki! It means that you did this and now you have to deal with the consequences. If you had listened to Kyoya or anyone else, you wouldn't be in this mess!" Kaoru started laughing and coughing beside her and she turned on him, "This isn't funny. You need to worry more about breathing than about what is going to happen to them."

After he coughed some more, Kaoru smiled at her and insisted, "It is funny! How many times has this happened? Too many to count."

Her own smile started tugging at the corners of her mouth, "Maybe, but still!" The grin won and her lips curled upwards.

With that, the tension – a small bit only – was broken and Kyoya stated, "Hikaru, Tamaki, you will clean up the mess. Be happy I don't make you eat what is on the floor. You will also take Usa-Chan and get it cleaned. Don't try to do it yourself because you will more than likely screw up the task. Take it to a cleaner that specializes in stains. Do you understand? You will also do everything that Hunny tells you to for a week. You were the ones that got Usa-Chan dirty…you're lucky that you are not six feet under or cremated yet." He never took his eyes away from the cowering duo when he asked, "Is that acceptable, Hunny?"

The shorter man growled and took a threatening step forward intent to do damage. In answer, the two men screamed and fainted again.

Mori placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, "Mitsukuni."

Sighing, Hunny nodded, "All right, but if they hurt Usa-Chan…"

"Then I will lock you in a room with them and you can do whatever you want," Kyoya offered. Of course being the Shadow King, he would make sure Usa-Chan went to a certain cleaner and that nothing would happen to the bunny, as he had done more than a few times in the past. No one needed to know this though. When he received Hunny's nod of approval, he wrote something in his ever present black book and said, "Excellent. Hikaru, Tamaki, snap out of it and start cleaning." His tone was threatening and practically dared them to remain unconscious.

Maybe it was a mysterious power the Shadow King possesses, maybe there is power in his tone, or maybe his words were somehow able to reach them, but both men jumped up and started cleaning, pulling brooms and mops out of thin air. That done, they raced to the address Kyoya supplied and dropped off Usa-Chan, waiting and watching until the bunny had been cleaned, insuring that nothing untoward happened to the beloved stuffed animal. Hours later, the returned and handed Usa-Chan to Hunny using a stick because they were afraid to get too close.

One would imagine that after that incident, nothing else would happen. It did. Haruhi was miffed with both Hikaru and Tamaki after the whole cake incident, so to try to get on her good side, Tamaki decided to deliver Kaoru's food to him. However, Hikaru stuck his foot out – he said on accident because he was adjusting his legs, but Tamaki swears it was on purpose – and tripped the blond sending the food flying through the air landing on Kaoru. Hikaru started to tease the former president and then Tamaki decided to get him back. The day before Kaoru was supposed to be discharged, Tamaki loosened the screws in the chair Hikaru always sat on, but this time, it was Mori that sat on it and it was Mori who immediately crashed to the floor. After that both Tamaki and Hikaru were banned from the hospital.

And then Kaoru got released from the hospital. He was still a little weak, but the infection was gone and he could finish healing at home. As if the heavens knew it was a special day, the sky was clear and not one cloud marred its blue beauty. Hikaru and Kaoru's parents along with the other hosts got into one car, leaving Haruhi and Kaoru to travel by themselves. She wasn't sure why her friends had done that, but she also wasn't going to argue about it, instead enjoying what she was sure would be a short-lived moment of tranquility.

She was further surprised when the car pulled to a stop in front of Ouran Academy, "Kaoru? Shouldn't we be going to your parents' house?" It had been decided that for at least a few days, the twins would stay at the Hitachiin manor after the youngest twin had been released.

"We will, but take a walk with me first," he gave her a mischievous smile and pulled her out of the car.

That smile, that very smile he was wearing now always meant trouble in the past, and yet, she found herself strolling with him through the very halls of the school that held so many memories for them. This was the place they met, the place that started their future together, and the place she fell in love with him. To them, Ouran would always be sacred.

With her hand firmly in his, he dragged her through the halls and up the stairs until they came to a familiar set of double doors. Behind these doors is where everything began. Behind these doors sat the once abandoned music room three, the room Tamaki commandeered years ago for the Host Club.

He pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door, pressed downwards on the handle, and pushed the door open. Nothing had changed since the day they had graduated. The floors were still pink marble, the walls were still the same color, and the extravagant furniture and decorations still filled the room. It was like they had been transported back in time.

Grabbing both of her hands and pulling her into the room, Kaoru did not stop until they were in the very spot the vase she had broken years ago – with help – had once stood, and then he got down on one knee, "Haruhi, I know I've already asked and I know you've already agreed, but I'd like to propose again when I'm actually conscious and aware of everything this time."

She didn't have the heart to tell him that he had asked her twice already and just nodded unable to get out any words.

"I fell in love with you in this room. It may not have been instantaneous, but from the moment I saw you, I knew you were different. You were special, regardless of your gender. You challenged me like no one else and made me look at things differently. It was as if the blinders had been taken off and I could see the world for what it was. It wasn't always perfect and beautiful, and there was so much more to it beyond the rich and elite, and you were the one that showed that to me. I still have a lot to learn and a long way to go, but I can't imagine spending my life with anyone but you…and maybe Hikaru, but not in the same bed…or the same room. And I definitely don't want to marry him."

She snickered.

"I'm not going to say I won't ever make you mad, I will. I also won't say that our life is going to be perfect because life is not a fairy tale, anime, or book; however, it will be full of love, laughter, and will be as perfect as we can make it. So, will you join me for an imperfect life and make the world our own? Will you marry me?" He pulled out a ring and held it in front of him.

Tears were falling down her face and she found it hard to speak. Falling to her knees, she finally nodded and fell into his arms. With a choked sob, she said, "Yes."

The sounds of clapping surrounded them and Haruhi lifted her smiling face from his shoulder to find their friends, her father, and the twins' parents and grandmother. She was surrounded by love and craziness, and she wouldn't have it any other way.


	17. Wedding Planning

**A/N: Thank you everyone for all of your encouragement and reviews. I think that having an established relationship, knowing what you want, and finally getting it has the power to make things happen. LOL. That's what I wanted for Kaoru and Haruhi, and that includes proposing on the day they confess. I guess I don't find it odd because I have seen that happen more times than I can count in my family. My mom and dad met for the first time on a Monday and engaged by Friday. My grandmother saw my grandfather preaching and went home to tell her mom she met the man she was going to marry. They were also engaged in short order. My cousin's best guy friend confessed and proposed all in the span of 30 minutes…she said yes. So based on personal experience, I didn't think it was odd to incorporate that into the story. Sometimes when you know, you just know and you have to jump in with both feet because you are afraid if you don't, you'll lose it again…or you just don't care about timing and you blurt out something major. Enjoy the new chapter! This story is winding down and I think the next chapter will be the last. I am planning on putting in an M section in the final chapter. I will flag it so that anyone that does not want to read it, doesn't have to. You will have to forgive this chapter a little…I watched Chika's Down with Hunny Declaration again and this chapter got away from me a bit. Blame Tamaki and the twins. LOL.**

Chapter 17 – Wedding Planning

 _Give a person an inch and they'll take mile._ It only took a month after her engagement (and not even that long) before Haruhi a keen grasp and understanding of what exactly those words actually meant…and she was about to kill someone because of it – or three people to be precise. The moment she accepted the final proposal, plans for her wedding were in full swing, and she had to wonder if certain someones had not started planning everything before Kaoru's release from the hospital. Actually given who she was thinking about, she didn't have to wonder at all. They had probably been planning the nuptials since before Kaoru had set foot on Japanese soil again. Let's just say, she wouldn't put anything past Hikaru, Tamaki, and her own father.

Less than 24 hours after her final engagement, the trio had decided that the couple would have a western style wedding instead of a Shinto wedding, complete with a gorgeous white dress that Hikaru would design himself. In addition, they would have the wedding and the reception at one of the Suoh hotels, in addition they decided who would be in the wedding party, what foods to eat, and what to drink. About the only thing they hadn't decided on was where the couple should honeymoon, and Haruhi had a feeling that was only a matter of time...if it had not already been planned by one or all three of them.

Let me back up for a second. I'm sure you're probably questioning and stuck at the fact that the trio in question is indeed Hikaru, Tamaki, and Ranka. Let me explain. It is a heart wrenching story! Or maybe not, but I'm channeling my inner Tamaki.

It was no secret to anyone that Kaoru had feelings for Haruhi – almost anyone could see that as far back as high school. And while Kaoru hadn't actually confessed everything to his brother, Hikaru knew (using twin sense or whatever) that things were about to get serious between his younger twin and the Natural host. Meanwhile, Tamaki had long ago realized that he had let the girl of his dreams slip through his fingers. She was not meant to be his, but that didn't stop him from acting a fool whenever he was around her…actually, it didn't stop him from trying to woo her either because according to him, he was half French and a gentleman. Whatever that was supposed to mean. Now Ranka…well he had Kyoya on his side and therefore he knew everything before it happened.

While Kaoru lay sick and helpless in his hospital bed, the trio started to discuss the wedding of the century. And from that, a new partnership was born!

Tearjerker story, isn't it?

While I'm not sure how the dynamics worked exactly, or how Ranka kept from killing Tamaki every time he saw the younger man, I can tell you that it somehow worked and they were a force to be reckoned with in regards to wedding planning. And if Tamaki sported a few new bruises, a cast, black eye, scratches from a set of manicured nails, etc., no one said a thing.

Everything from the music, colors, food, dress, chairs, orchestra – because a quartet wasn't big or bold enough according to Tamaki – and everything else, were planned and arranged by the trio. On one hand, it lessened the stress of planning a wedding for Haruhi and Kaoru, but on the other hand, wasn't this their wedding? Yes, Haruhi still had to get through the second part of her bar exam, however, that did not mean she could not help plan her own wedding. Then again, if she had a say in the wedding, it would have been a year into the future, the trio had set the date for two months after the engagement. It was almost like they planned that on purpose. She had to study for her exam and they got free range on the wedding planning.

Kaoru tried his best to rein them in, but when faced with two people like…well, Tamaki and Ranka, and one person like his brother, he would have gotten further in peace talks between Russia and Turkey than the Wedding Planners Extraordinaire (trademark/copyright coming soon). Yes, they named themselves.

Seeing that he wouldn't be able to reason with the trio, the younger twin went to the one man that could possibly help: Kyoya. The Shadow King was their only hope.

And help he did, bringing peace of mind to the bride and groom.

No, he didn't change the wedding date, but he did change the colors of the wedding from yellow, red, and orange to white and green with a dash of red. Classy and elegant. He also managed to help (read that as forced) the trio settle on a menu that would suit the bride and groom. His words to them were, "This is a wedding for Haruhi and Kaoru. It should be the event of the year, not gaudy or over the top. We are gentlemen and a lady, let's act accordingly."

Knowing Kyoya supervised the trio should have set Haruhi and Kaoru at ease, however, they had this nagging suspicion that they would wind up owing the Shadow King with a kidney, their first born, or something along those lines in the future. This was the Shadow King of Ouran after all, and he never did anything that did not benefit him in some way, shape, or form.

"Kyoya?" Haruhi had talked to Kaoru the night before, and even though he told her not to say anything, she had to know.

"What is it, Haruhi?" Glancing up from his black book of notes, he adjusted his glasses and waited. He already knew what was on her mind, but he wanted to see if she would be brave enough to say anything…then again, she just interrupted him, so she had at least some gumption.

She looked at her fiancé and then once again settled her gaze upon her bespectacled friend suddenly feeling as if her life might be in danger. One wrong move, one wrong thing said, and it was very possible that she might disappear without a trace. Okay, maybe that was a little dramatic, but Kyoya has a reputation…and he was helping them out of the goodness of his heart – not really, but maybe. In truth, she needed to thank him because under his guidance, the wedding was shaping into something she would enjoy instead of the outlandish spectacle the trio on their own could be and had been creating. In fact, tonight she and Kaoru were meeting with Kyoya over dinner to discuss the latest plans. There was only two weeks before the wedding.

"Haruhi?" Kyoya prompted. When she still didn't say anything, he asked, "Did you want to ride in on an elephant?"

Sweat dropping, she rushed, "NO!" Apparently the day before, Tamaki decided she needed to ride in on an elephant…not something she wanted to do. She took a deep breath and then asked, "What's in this for you?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"What's in it for you? I get my dad, Tamaki, and Hikaru, but why you? Not that we don't appreciate the help! WE DO!"

He adjusted his glasses again and stated, "You and Kaoru are two of my dear friends. Of course I would want to help. Besides, as an Ootori, I cannot be associated with the circus they were creating."

She briefly wondered if he meant that figuratively or not. Given who had taken charge of the wedding, given who they were discussing, it was very possible it could have been a real circus. Shaking her head, she studied him for a moment and finally said, "Thank you for everything." The look in his eyes was one she remembered from the exposition during her first year in high school. While it had been a long and tiring day being around Kyoya Ootori the entire time, it had also shed new light and gave great insight to the man he was.

"Of course…and I will not charge you for my services this time," he deadpanned.

Was he joking? Sometimes with Kyoya it was hard to tell, and Haruhi just wasn't sure. Instead, she nervously said, "You were saying about the elephant?" It was probably best to move on and drop the subject.

The wedding was only two weeks away. Two weeks until she could say "I do" to the man she had fallen in love with long ago, and she couldn't wait. When he had shown up at her house sick with pneumonia, she hadn't been expecting his confession or the series of proposals she received; and when it was all said done, she wouldn't have changed a thing…maybe his illness, but not the rest of it because it was memorable. And when they were old and grey, it would be an amazing story to tell her children and grandchildren: the day Kaoru stumbled in and proclaimed his love for the princess. First kiss, first confession, first proposal… Firsts and lasts because Kaoru would also be the man she shared her last first kiss with, the last man she would love, and the first and last man she would be engaged to, and she wouldn't want it any other way.


	18. A Marriage

**A/N: We have arrived at the end. Thank you everyone for all of your follows, favorites, and reviews. As stated a few times before, at the end of this chapter will be an M section. I will leave it for the very end and if you would like to read, then by all means do so, however, if you don't want to read, stop there. It will be clearly marked. Enjoy and see you next story!**

Chapter 18 – A Marriage

Two weeks came and went, and Haruhi and Kaoru felt more like they had wrestled a tornado than survived any last minute wedding planning. Even at the rehearsal dinner, they were still having to put the kibosh on ideas that would somehow magically pop into Tamaki's head. For example, he watched a movie where people dressed as angles were floating from the ceiling. Or there was Haruhi riding in on a tiger. Not to mention the idea that had both Tamaki and Ranka giving her away – this last one started a fight and Ranka showed the princely type that while he may wear a dress, no one messed with Haruhi's real father.

That aside, good news also followed the couple. Through Kyoya's – let's call them connections or sources – through his connections, Haruhi found out the day before she was to speak her vows that she had passed both pieces of the bar exam, which meant she would soon be able to start her internship, and after that, she would be a full fledge lawyer. The title danced on her tongue and she couldn't wait to get started. No. Correction. She could wait because what she wanted more than to practice law was to marry the love of her life, Kaoru. He was her best friend, confidante, and he was hers.

Hers. Sometimes it all felt like a dream, almost impossible that the man she had dreamed of spending forever with, wanted the same from her. And today they would take the next step in their relationship…she could only hope and pray that Kyoya had firmly reined in Tamaki so that there would not be any last minute surprises.

During high school. Hikaru and Kaoru were always the ones to help her get dressed and do her makeup for the club's various cosplays, but not today. Hikaru may have designed the dress, but his mother, Renge and Mei would help her reach perfection today. Not even Ranka was allowed to help, much to his annoyance. And when her two bridesmaids were done (the other part of her wedding party being Mori and Hunny since Kyoya, Tamaki, Hikaru, and Kassanoda were standing up with Kaoru), the cloth that had been hiding the mirror, lifted and she gasped. Was that really her staring back at her? It looked like her, and yet at the same time, it didn't.

Her body was encased in a sheath dress that hugged her body until it flared slightly at the knees making her appear as if she had an hourglass figure, and the sweetheart neckline gave the illusion of a heavier bust than she had been blessed with. Lace had been layered over that, the design and combination making the dress seem to shimmer with a silver glow. Looking more closely, she could see the silver thread that had been woven into the lace along with small pearls to give the dress more dimension. With the lace over the sheath, the dress could not be called strapless since the lace material allowed the dress to have wide straps that settled in a V over the white sweetheart neckline and ended about mid-back behind her. The train was modest, which was probably a good thing – she had had a reoccurring nightmare about tripping over her dress while she walked down the aisle. Her heals were luckily only one inch and fairly comfortable with a wedge heal, making it less likely to break her leg trying to get to Kaoru at the end of the aisle.

Was she being overly dramatic? Possibly, but she had been friends with this bunch long enough that something had probably rubbed off on her. In addition, while she may have obtained more knowledge and patience in the last several years as their friend, she was still not the most graceful of the bunch.

She looked into the mirror again and smiled. Her makeup was done simply and yet elegantly, playing up her brown eyes with a dark liner. Her lips had only the barest of pink color, as did her cheeks. The woman Hikaru had hired to do her hair and makeup, had somehow managed to twist her hair into some coifed up do that rivaled almost any runway. And for once, Haruhi wouldn't have changed a thing about any of it. Not the shoes, the makeup, the dress, the hair…nothing. It was perfect, and she couldn't wait for Kaoru to see her.

Pulling her soon to be daughter-in-law into her arms, Yuzuru whispered, "You are everything I ever wanted for my son. Be happy."

Haruhi could feel the tears pricking her eyes and nodded, "Thank you."

When it was time, Mei and Renge opened up the doors to the bridal suite for the father of the bride, who was dressed in a Kaoru Hitachiin design. The dress was a floor length A-line ball gown made of royal blue silk with long sleeves and a high neckline. And when he saw his daughter, he rushed into the room and pulled her into his arms, "Your mom is smiling down on your today."

"Thanks, dad," she squeezed him back. Already her emotions felt like she was riding a roller coaster…and it was probably a good thing the makeup was waterproof. She had a feeling this would not be the last time she would be tearing up today.

"Are you ready?"

Taking a deep breath, she released it slowly, a smile pulling up the corners of her lips, "I am."

Many people could probably recall their wedding day with clarity, but Haruhi would not be one of those girls. She remember her father entering her room, however, she could not remember leaving her bridal suite or anything else until the doors opened to the grand ball room and her eyes spotted Kaoru…and even then, her focus was only on him. The arm linked with hers felt like air – nothingness. Were people standing around her fiancé? Were people lined up on either side of the man who would marry them? Was there someone up there to marry them? She didn't know and didn't care. She only saw Kaoru.

It wasn't until they had reached the end of the aisle and her father passed her to her intended, did she realize she had been walking down the aisle in a haze of love. Dutifully, she remember at the last minute to give her father a small kiss and then joined Kaoru in front of the man who would marry them…and she almost screamed. Almost. Instead of the man they had rehearsed with the night before, a certain blond stood there, "Tamaki? What are you doing?"

"Marrying you of course!" He beamed. "Is my little girl surprised?"

"She is not your daughter!" Ranka snapped.

Clearing his throat, Tamaki began, "We are gathered together…"

"Wait!" Haruhi stopped him.

"What?"

She looked at Kaoru, "What does he mean that he's marrying us?"

Kyoya was the one that answered, "He wanted this day to be… memorable for you and managed to get ordained online. I assure you it is completely legal and he can perform the marriage ceremony. However, in Japan it is not necessary since you only need to file the correct paperwork to be married."

"So you're saying…?"

"Humor him," the Shadow King smirked pushing his glasses up his nose.

Sweat dropping, her eyes darted from Kyoya to her fiancé and back and forth twice more before she deadpanned, "I guess we don't have a choice."

"Tamaki, you are free to continue," Kyoya announced.

Taking his cue, the blond did just that. He stumbled over words here and there, and when it came time for Kaoru to recite his vows, Tamaki may have added to them, "Do you promise to love her, cherish her, honor, and keep her, forsaking all others?"

"I…" Kaoru began, but was rudely interrupted.

"Not done," Tamaki sang before continuing, "Do you promise not to tease her for her commoner ways, to give her everything, to treat her like a princess, to never make fun of her clothes, to not take her for granted, to not keep her from me whenever I want to see her…mmmmmm." He would have said more, but Kaoru's hand shot out to shut him up.

With nothing else hindering his answer, the groom said, "I do."

Haruhi's was a little different as well. Tamaki turned to her and said, "You don't have to marry him if you really don't want to. We won't force you. So if you are unsure about anything…anything at all, then you can walk away now."

"Just get on with it, Tamaki!" Haruhi snapped.

"Do you want to marry him?"

"I do."

"Then by the power vested in me, I pronounce you man and wife! You may kiss your bride," before the words were even out of the princely type's mouth, the newly wed husband and wife were sealing their vows with a kiss.

This was the beginning, the start of Haruhi and Kaoru's life together, and although it was a little crazy and out of the ordinary as far as weddings go, they wouldn't have changed a thing… or not much at least. After all, crazy and the Host Club went hand in hand. Today was the start of their forever.

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Married. Legally wed – just as soon as they filed the paperwork. It didn't seem like it was possible, but it was. Tamaki had married them and they could vaguely remember going to the reception and celebrating with their friends, family, and a bunch of people they didn't know. To both the bride and groom it still felt like a dream. Some people may have thought they rushed it, but they didn't care about those people. The only people that mattered were Haruhi and Kaoru, Kaoru and Haruhi.

Which is why, after the bouquet was thrown (to be caught by Tamaki, who tossed it to Mei when the bridesmaid threatened him), after the garter was flicked and caught by Hunny, who jumped high in the air to get it first, and after they walked through a wall of bubbles, they ran to the elevator and up to the honeymoon suite to shut out the rest of the world. It was now their time together.

Carrying her over the threshold, Kaoru slowly dropped Haruhi's legs, letting them slowly sink to the floor. He could feel the descent as they brushed against his body and he could barely contain a groan. Everything about her turned him on, and dancing with her earlier had left him hard and wanting. If there had been any conceivable way to leave the party earlier, he would have, but there had been no escape.

"You feel so good," he whispered as he leaned forward and captured her lips.

Opening her mouth to his exploring tongue, desire flared. She had been buzzing with electricity since she found him at the end of the aisle, but between their first dance – and every dance in between – the feeding each other, teasing, the hands on her thigh as they sat down…her body was ready for action. She needed him like never before. One touch could probably send her soaring over the cliff into orgasmic bliss. Her mind was turning to mush and she needed him – NOW!

Without breaking the kiss, she started to unbutton his shirt. They could do sweet and slow later. She could not be patient a moment longer. "Kaoru," her breath hitched as she grabbed her breast and kneaded it, and she moaned long and deep. She could already feel wetness pooling between her thighs causing an ache deep within her.

Kaoru pulled back and spun his new wife around and almost shouted in frustration. Why the hell had Hikaru designed the dress with buttons instead of a zipper. He didn't care if it did look better, right now he wanted a damn zipper. His hands were shaking as he tried to remove the dress. The first one cooperated without issue. So had the second and third. He thought he had won a small victory until he realized he had at least 20 more to go. Hikaru had to have done this on purpose just to torture him. Just wait until his older brother decided to get married.

After the first three, the buttons stopped cooperating and he accidentally tore a small hole in the lace, "Haruhi, how attached are you to this dress?"

"What? I love it. Why?" Confusion laced her words and she wanted to know why Kaoru had stopped undressing her. He was holding up progress!

"The buttons are stuck."

"How can the buttons be stuck?"

"They just are!"

"Then…" She loved the dress, but she needed the man with an almost urgent desperation. "Just rip it. Hikaru can fix it later."

"Good! Those were my thoughts exactly! Either that or we can make you a new one!" He pulled as hard as he could, surprised that he was able to make the buttons fly in all directions, but he didn't focus on that for too long. Pushing the sleeves down Haruhi's arms, he then pushed the material down her hips until it settled in a ring at her feet. His eyes raked her from head to toe and he almost snickered when he noticed her panties were tied on each side with a bow. Easy access. Why couldn't the dress have been like that?

Next, he untied her panties and her corset and she stood naked before him with the exception of a garter belt, thigh highs, and her shoes. His own body responded to seeing the backside of the vision before him, and then she spun around to help him out of his own clothes. He thought he was hard before? He wasn't. His pants were too tight and he wondered if his dick would break the zipper.

Haruhi's face blushed red when she spun around, but she would not stop until he was just as naked as she was…or more so. Pulling his shirt apart, she forced the remaining buttons to pop free and then she reached for his belt buckle and zipper. Looking up into his eyes, she noticed they were tightly shut and he was virtually panting. Knowing she had this kind of affect over him was empowering.

Slowly, almost to torture him, she pulled the zipper downward. His breath caught and she smiled. Reaching in, she grabbed his penis and squeezed, her grin increasing when he groaned in response; however, when she tried to stroke him up and down, his hand stopped hers from moving.

"If you keep doing that, I'm going to cum right here."

"Is that a bad thing?" she challenged.

Shaking his head, he laughed right before he bent over to push down his pants and scoop her up over his shoulder. Kaoru deposited her on the bed and pushed her legs open. "You still have a ways to go before you can tease me like a master," he winked as he crawled onto the bed and bent over her wetness, inhaling her scent. It was intoxicating and he didn't think he would ever get enough of it. He had to taste her.

His tongue circled her clit without touching before diving a little lower, the source of her wetness and he gathered as much as he could with one swipe and swallowed. She tasted like mana from heaven.

"Kaoru," Haruhi begged. This wasn't she and Kaoru's first time together, but it felt more intense, the need more gnawing. "Please."

If this was another time, if he had any patience left, Kaoru might have dragged out her torture more, but he couldn't. Sucking on her clit, he plunged two fingers into her pussy and curled them upwards finding her g spot, and in short order, her heat clamped down on him as she orgasmed.

Moving up her body, he settled between her open legs and kissed her, giving her a taste of herself. The first time he had tried that, she pushed his face away, but not now.

"Inside me!" She begged again.

"As you wish," he grinned. He used his hand to line himself up with her hole and when he was ready, he pushed hard and fast all the way to the hilt, and stopped. He wanted to savor this, but that wasn't the reason he halted his movement. He was afraid if he moved, it would be over before he was ready. Taking several deep breaths in and out, he groaned and buried his head into his wife's neck when she wiggled and moved under him. She was going to be the death of him.

He wasn't moving and she needed him to move. She needed the pressure of being filled over and over again, to feel the building friction, to feel him scraping her insides. She needed him to fuck her like he never had before. Now was not the time to quit! She had needs.

Pulling back to the point only the tip of his dick was inside her, he paused for one second before plunging back in. This time he didn't stop. His own climax was fast approaching, but he was going to try and send her over the ledge first. Reaching between them, he pressed and rubbed circles onto her clit, watching his wife's face. There was an almost caveman like satisfaction when he saw her eyes roll backwards and her lids sink down over them; and then he felt the spasms clenching around his shaft, milking him and forcing his own climax to rush out of him, filling her to the brim. He was spent, and from the way she was breathing, she was as well.

Haruhi felt like she was floating and moaned when he pulled out and heaved himself to her side. They were both breathing heavily. Neither could control their racing hearts, but they didn't really want to. This was their honeymoon and they would enjoy it and each other as much as they could.

"I love you, Mr. Hitachiin," she panted.

"I love you too, Mrs. Hitachiin," his breathing was just as erratic. Reaching over, he cupped her face and tiredly leaned over and kissed her, "Now until the end of time."


End file.
